Girls of Summer
by metalguru
Summary: Book I of the Endless Summer Chronicles. The girls are teenagers, on vacation, and looking for sun and fun! But what happens when they run into a certain samurai named Jack?
1. Chapter 1

Progenies Island

South Pacific Ocean, near the international date line.

"Are we rolling, honey?"

"When the red light comes on, dear. That's what I tell you every time."

"Now?"

The red recording light of the video camera blinked on.

"Now. And… action!"

"Hello, explorers! This is Nigel Thornberry, bringing you another exciting episode of Nigel Thornberry's nature planet, and you are all in for a treat today! Today, I am on Progenies Island, a remote tropical island in the South Pacific which, until a few years ago, was untouched by the outside world since the Ice Age. However, within the last fifty years, a tourism boom on nearby Milneas Island has created great interest in this area. About ten years ago, Progenies Island was only known for its indigenous people, a civilization that has lived autonomously from the rest of the world for millennia. Then, just last year, it was discovered that ruins, artifacts, and cities of a long, lost civilization have been nestled on this island, unhampered by human contact. Upon closer examination, local tribal legend has it that fourteen thousand years ago, an extremely powerful and intelligent civilization ruled most of this area, which is amazing considering the first known civilizations in the world arose in the Middle East about 10,000 B.C. Thankfully, the value and knowledge that might be gained through a discovery such as this was not lost on the world. The island has been secured by the Japanese Navy, and only the official United Nations research team and guests are allowed on the island. The research team is led by world-renowned archaeologist and curator of the Antiquities museum of the University of California-Berkeley, Dr. Issac Acari. With him is the local expert on South-East Asian Antiquities, a PhD from Boston College, and a member of the Smithsonian Society board of Directors, Dr. Aus Poponopolis. I bet you all can't wait to meet them! Now, if we head over here…"

"Heads up!" came a voice from off-camera.

Nigel quickly looked to his right and started waving his arms. "Wha?"

Another voice came in over the sound-recorder, this one from behind the camera. This voice was older, and had a motherly tone to it.

"Donnie, no! Don't jump into the shot!"

With a bunch of unintelligible gibberish, a young boy with wild brown hair and a leopard skin loincloth leaped into the shot, grabbing a frisbee in mid-air, while simultaneously knocking Nigel to the ground.

More voices –

"Donnie!"

"That was so Eliza's fault!"

"What! You were part of the game too, Debbie!"

"OO OO ai ai ai oo!"

"CUT!"

Marianne Thornberry turned off her camera and placed it on the ground to sort through another family mess. Five months on the road in Southeast Asia was tough enough. Having to convince the Japanese Navy to let them on Progenies was even more of a pain. And now that they were on the island, all the restrictions and quarantines dictating where and when the Thornberry clan could go, really put a damper on their fun, especially young Eliza, who couldn't go exploring through the jungle. They had been forced to stay near the camper for about a week, while Nigel bartered with the authorities about what he could and couldn't film.

Everyone was getting sick of being jammed together, none more so than Marianne, who was peeved that most of the film she shot had been taken away for "classified" reasons. All she had was film of Nigel standing on the beach and the few shots they could get of the natives without placing the excavation site in the background.

"Eliza, Debbie! I want you both to stay as far away from me and your father while we're filming!"

"But Mom," Eliza started pouting, "there's nowhere else to go!"

"I don't care!" Marianne looked like she was about to pull the hair off her head. "Just go anywhere but here!"

"Come on Darwin." She whispered to her simian friend, Darwin the chimpanzee. She grabbed Donnie's hand and walked towards the outer edge of the excavation site that they were allowed in.

The Thornberry's were considered by some to be nature's first family. They traveled around the world in a camper, exploring the natural world. Nigel's prime occupation is hosting his own nature show, which his wife, Marianne, films. His oldest daughter Debbie was a teen queen with no interest whatsoever in nature, except for hot boys. Her sister Eliza was an intelligent girl, whose prime interests included exploring and animals, not the least of which because she had been given the power to speak to and understand them by a witch doctor years ago. Darwin was her best friend in the world, a chimp who the family had stumbled across at about the same time Eliza gained her powers. Finally, there was Donnie, a wild child who had grown up Tarzan-like in the jungle. One day he just kind of dropped in on the family, and he'd been there ever since.

"This stinks, Darwin. 'Don't go into the jungle, Eliza. Stay away from the dig site, Eliza. Don't talk to any of the soldiers, Eliza.' This place is a dig site, not a military base.

"The natives aren't very hospitable, either." Despite being a chimp, Darwin acted more like a pompous royal than a wild animal.

Eliza watched some of the natives working on the dig site. Suspicious and camera-shy, the natives left a bad taste in her mouth. They kept mostly to themselves, coming in as the sun rose, working quietly on the excavation site, then returning to the jungle once the sun started to set. They weren't Asian, which wasn't too strange, but they didn't resemble any other race in the world. Their bodies were burnt a golden brown from generations living on a tropical island, yet they had blond hair. Even stranger, they tattooed themselves with blue markings and the women dyed their hair blue. Despite being separated from the rest of the world for who knows how long, they had some grasp on both English and Japanese, which made their situation even more mysterious.

One of the archaeologists working on a nearby monument, stood up, walked past the sentries stationed around the dig, and out of the quarantine zone towards the large water tank to get a drink. Eliza recognized him as Dr. Poponopolis.

"Dr. Poponopolis!" The kind doctor turned to wave at Eliza. Eliza ran up to him.

"Hello Eliza. How are you doing today?" Dr. Aus Poponopolis was one of the few people associated with the dig who actually talked to Eliza about what went on at the dig. He was American by birth, Arabian by family, a fourth generation Iraqi-American, and the nicest associate Eliza thought her Dad had ever had.

"I'm bored. Can't you let us into one of the tombs just for a few minutes? I swear we won't cause any trouble."

The good doctor chuckled. "Sorry Eliza, but it's not up to me. There's a lot of history here, some of which may tell us more about ourselves and where we came from."

"But why all the soldiers?" Patrolling the dig site were UN soldiers.

"They are just here to preserve the artifacts. There are a lot of people in the world who would misuse these treasures or sell them for gain. I don't think at all that you're like them, but for the sake of argument, I can't take you into the dig. Do you understand?"

"Yes. Yes, I do." Eliza said, defeated.

The doctor felt sorry for the girl, when an idea popped through his head.

"Ah, there is something I can show you Eliza. Come this way."

They walked through a grove of mango trees to another clearing on the outside of the dig. Here, the workers had set up tents for getting out of the sun during the hot midday. In the center of the grove was a statue of a woman, wearing regal dresses and a crown. She had a powerful look on her face, as if the world itself was hers to do what she wished.

"Wow. She's beautiful. Who is she?" asked Eliza.

"Proof that beauty is only skin deep, Eliza. From what I've learned, she was once a queen of the civilization that existed in the Ice Age. She was very powerful, but also very greedy. She sought to gain enormous power, whatever the ancients considered power back then. Whatever she did, it was the cause of that civilization to collapse. The natives here worship her but revile her at the same time. It's strange… their beliefs are like a split-personality. However, we can't decipher the glyphs on the bottom of the statue. That's why we're searching the tombs – to see if we can find this island's version of the Rosetta stone. If we can find a way to translate them, we might find out what the ancients thought of her. "

They both stared at the statue for a few moments. Eliza could have sworn the look on the queen's face changed from smile to a sneer.

"Can we look around?" she finally asked.

"Sure, and if you're hungry, the mess tent is over there." He pointed to a large nearby tent where several workers were resting. "Just don't wander too far. I have to get back to work. I'll tell you more stories about this island later, okay?"

"Okay!"

Darwin walked up to the base of the statue and poked at the markings on the bottom of the statue.

"This marking looks like a fish. Do you think that's what they meant?"

Eliza chased Donnie a little bit around the statue, catching him before he could climb up it.

"It can't be that easy, Darwin. That symbol probably means a lot more than we know."

Darwin went back to examining the statue's glyphs. He looked again at Eliza, only to realize that in a few seconds, he was now staring at Eliza's waist, rather than seeing her eye to eye like he usually did.

"Eliza, when did you get taller?"

"What do you- Darwin, you're sinking!"

Darwin was horrified when he realized that he was knee-deep in sand and sinking fast.

"Ah, Eliza, help!"

Eliza grabbed his hands, but the suction was too fast and she realized she was going in too.

"AAHHHHH!" She screamed. Darwin had already gone all the way into the sand and Eliza's head was about to go under. Eliza closed her eyes as tight as possible.

Suddenly, two powerful arms grabbed Eliza around the mid-waist, and with one giant tug, pulled the teenage girl and her best friend out of the sinkhole, gasping for air.

Darwin spat sand while Eliza looked up towards her rescuer. He was a very muscular man, with blond hair, tan skin, and a rough look on his face.

"You alright? What were you two doing?" he asked, squatting down to check on the two of them.

Eliza's parents, having heard the scream, ran right over to Eliza. Her mother scooped her up to check on her. Mr. Thornberry walked straight up to the man who rescued her.

"Oh, Eliza, are you all right, honey?"

"I'm fine, Mom, really!"

Nigel stuck out his hand to the rescuer.

"Oh heavens, when we heard that scream, we were so worried. Thank you very much, Mr.?"

The burly man took his hand and shook it. "Samson. Brock Samson. I'm Professor Acari's bodyguard."

Some of the workers had circled the newly created hole at the bottom of the statue. They were chattering amongst themselves excitedly, pointing and pushing to see what was at the bottom.

Brock walked over to the hole, and the workers quickly backed away, but eyed the American suspiciously. Brock peered down the hole, his eyes opening wide.

"What is it, Mr. Samson?" Nigel asked.

"Somebody get Professor Acari. Now."

Sitting in the main tomb, Dr. Issac Acari chewed his lunch slowly, quietly examining the underground amphitheatre that surrounded him. Its design was extremely ornate, hinting at a sophistication of architecture that even by today's standards were exquisite. But it wasn't his surroundings that were eating at him. Just that day, he had found remnants of a broken sword. Judging by the design and materials used, if it wasn't for the fact that no outsider had come to the island in thousands of years, he could have sworn that the sword was a relic from medieval Europe. The workers milling about left him alone, having been told never to bother him when he got in this state.

Dr. Acari was a quiet yet deep man. For some reason, he sounded a lot like Anthony Hopkins, especially when he was lost in thought. His friends even nicknamed him "Hannibal" both for his ability to creep others out with his cryptic thoughts like the character from that movie, and the fact that he had long ago gained fame for discovering and excavating remnants of the razed city of Carthage, whose most famous son crossed the Alps with elephants to attack Rome.

"Dr. Acari!" The shout broke him out of his self-induced trance. "Dr. Acari, come quick!"

"What is it?" the doctor said to the assistant that roused him.

"They've found another chamber, this one at the campsite!"

This bit of information immediately got the doctor off his feet. His adrenaline was already racing.

"Where? Take me, quick!"

Back at the campsite, several of the archaeologists had already started to gather tools and other equipment for entering the sinkhole. They were hammering in anchors and attaching ropes.

Dr. Acari rushed towards the sinkhole at a fast pace. He was quickly matched by Brock, he walked side by side with the doctor.

"What is it, Brock?"

"It seems to be a treasure chamber, Dr. Acari. We can already see some gold and silver stored inside. Dr. Poponopolis has already gone inside."

They both walked to the edge of the hole, careful not to knock any more sand inside. Dr. Acari got down on his stomach and peered inside. Below, he could see a few flashlights swooping around, examining the contents.

"Aus!" he shouted inside. A small echo occurred.

"Dr. Acari!" Dr. Poponopolis' voice was faint, but hearable. "You won't believe what's down here!"

"What?"

Dr. Poponopolis appeared in the sunlight going through the hole. He climbed on top of the sand pile that had formed from the sinkhole.

"There's an enormous amount of artifacts in here! Pottery, books, jewelry, even clothing! It's amazi- woh!"

Dr. Poponopolis stumbled on the sand, almost falling as some of it gave way.

"Doctor, are you alright?" Dr. Acari shouted to his friend.

"Yes, but… my goodness, Issac, there's something under all this sand!"

Dr. Acari and his assistants immediately started moving the sand with their hands to reveal a stone pedestal with a removable top. He ran his hand over the top.

"Issac, there's words written in ancient Sumerian here! This proves your theory that this culture was the precursor of all others!"

Dr. Acari could not contain his excitement. "What does it say, doctor?"

"My word… it says:

_Bring forth, the gift of dreams,_

_Taken in love, brings utopia,_

_Taken in zeal, brings war,_

_Taken in hate, brings death._

_For the past, taken wrongly, _

_For the future, leave me sleeping."_

Outside, despite the fact that they were on a tropical island, upon reading the last line, a cold wind blew, causing all to shiver nervously.

"Doctor Acari," Brock whispered, "maybe we should just leave that chest alone for now."

"You may be right, Brock. Dr. Acari…"

"I'm opening it now."

"Aus, wait!"

Dr. Acari opened the box to reveal a large red rock inside. The touch of the sun seemed to activate it, as suddenly it started to glow white.

"Issac, it's glowing!"

Dr. Poponopolis and his assistants watched eagerly, but their excitement turned to fear as the rock got so bright, it was seemingly about to burst.

Dr. Acari looked on in horror when two strong hands grabbed him and pulled him away from the hole.

"Everybody get back!" Brock Samson yelled as he threw Dr. Acari to the ground away from the hole and then jumped on top of the doctor to protect him.

The light from the hole was so bright that the day seemed to become night. Suddenly, a burst of light fired out of the hole like a shot from cannon. It flew up into the sky, disappearing into space. Seconds later, another fired out, then another, and still one more, before the light dissipated and returned to normal.

Brock ran over to the hole, grabbing a rope and jumping into the hole. At the bottom, he looked around to see if anyone was still there.

"Is there anyone okay down here?" he shouted. The echo that returned gave him his answer. The chamber was completely empty. Not a single item was left. He turned towards the source of the light, realizing that the chest which contained the rock had closed.

"My god…What is this thing?"

"I don't know." Dr. Acari's voice came from the top of the hole. Brock looked up to see the doctor with a grim look on his face, a small smattering of blood on his forehead.

"But I know who does."

* * *

The four beams of light traveled through space and time, their paths bringing them to the edge of the universe. Then, like a fireworks display of the gods, they exploded, creating a beautiful display of light in the universe.

Somewhere in the bowels of space and time, one being felt this energy…

* * *

Tokyo, Japan.

Wind and rain ripped through the city like it was the end of the world itself.

Konizuka Konichi, a young employee of a restaurant near Tokyo tower, was trying desperately to board up the windows of his employer before the worst of the storm hit. Inside, his boss, Mr. Suichi, was watching a battery powered television while storing all of his cooking equipment away so they wouldn't get thrown around if the winds blew in the window. Mr. Suichi's daughter was packing their important belongings in their car so they could get head to the shelter as soon as possible.

"All citizens with homes on the eastern seaboard are advised to take shelter immediately. Do not attempt to board up your windows or save unnecessary possessions. Grab anything important that you can carry easily and get to a shelter immediately! This station will try to remain on the air for as long as possible to get Japan through this storm! We're getting a live report from our expert on this storm!"

Mr. Suichi stopped putting his pans away to see a weatherman at a Doppler radar map pointing at a massive swirling cloud.

"Authorities are baffled at how this class 5 typhoon could have formed so quickly. In only the last half hour, a freakish storm surge sprang up off the coast, pulling up huge amounts of seawater, causing high waves. Citizens on the coast are advised to move inland as quickly as possible before the worst of this storm hits, because it could bring massive waves crashing into the coast…"

"Konichi!" Mr. Suichi yelled, "You've done enough! Get in here so we can head to the shelter!"

Konichi spit out the nails in his mouth. "Alright boss! I'm coming!"

He turned to go inside the store, but for some reason he couldn't enter. A strange feeling entered the pit of his stomach. He felt compelled to turn around and look at Tokyo tower.

"Konichi, what's with you, let's g-"

Mr. Suichi grabbed Konichi's shoulder, when all of sudden a lightning bolt hit the top of Tokyo Tower, traveled straight down through the tower, and impacted with the ground beneath it, creating a fissure which caused a small localized earthquake. Both Mr. Suichi and Konichi were knocked to the ground.

They watched from the ground as another lightning bolt hit the tower, following the same path as the first one, then another, and another, before a massive thunderclap announced that the ordeal was over.

The two men were awe-struck at what they had just seen.

"Did you see…"

"Yeah. Shocking."

* * *

A mighty army, thousands strong, of loyal and hardened warriors, charges forward towards a mountain where darkness and fire pours out and blackens the land.

_Once, I was feared as a god of death._

A dark army of hideous creatures pounces on the warriors. Swords clash with spines and blades, neither side backing down, the dark hordes thirsting for blood, the warriors fighting not for honor, but for survival. Blood, both red and black, flows like water. The leader of the warriors is chained to the darkness.

_Any who opposed me; I did more than take their lives. I destroyed their homes, hunted their families, and took their souls. _

Castles and countryside, no matter what walk of life, it all burns. Villagers run in fear. Those caught are taken into slavery.

_Only one has ever evaded me._

Deep in a fire-filled chamber, a lone man fights to the death with the embodiment of evil. The entire chamber goes black. Two burning eyes appear in the darkness.

_Face me, samurai!_

"Aku!" Jack bolted upright on his bed-mat, his body drenched in a cold sweat. He wiped a few drops off his forehead, taking a few deep breathes to calm himself down.

His dojo/house was quiet and dark. The dojo was simple: a few tables, a mat for a bed, and the rest dedicated to the hardwood floor that made up the training area.

Jack relaxed, bringing one knee to his chest to support himself in his sitting position. Despite the relief he felt knowing that it was just a dream, the nightmares had become more frequent, and Jack wasn't one to disregard premonitions.

As he collected his thoughts, Jack realized that the phone was ringing.

Picking up the receiver, Jack rubbed the last bits of sleep out of his eyes.

"Hello? Yes, this is him. Hello professor, how are you? Good. What…? That's awful. Yes, I can come right away. Tomorrow at six? I'll be there. Yes, I'll see you soon."

Jack hung up the phone and looked at the clock. **1:30 a.m.** He didn't have to be at the airport for another three hours, and he was too far awake now to go back to sleep.

Opening his closet, he pulled out one of his training gis and put it on over his undergarments. Walking over to his sword rack, he gingerly lifted his personal sword off the rack, and then checked its balance. Pulling it out a little, the blade gleamed in the moonlight. He pushed the sword back in and went to his fridge, pulling out an apple before walking out onto the school grounds.

It was a cool summer's night, with no clouds and a slight breeze. Since the kids were all out on summer vacation, there was no need to tell the school he would be leaving for a bit.

_I'll probably have to leave a note in case I don't get back in time for the school year_, he thought. _All right, enough standing around, time to get to work._

Jack took a bite out of the apple, swallowed it, and took a deep breath.

_A samurai knows no fear…_

_He lives everyday as if it was his last…_

He tossed the apple straight up into the air and closed his eyes.

_Preparing for the step into eternity…_

_But, most of all he lives for one thing…_

As the apple fell in front of him, Jack's eyes opened in a snap. The gentleness once present was gone, replaced by a fierce, merciless glare. With a flash of movement Jack drew his sword and swung it quickly at the apple, before replacing his sword in its sheath as quickly as he pulled it out.

_To destroy all his enemies!_

The apple fell to the ground seemingly untouched. It sat there for a second before splitting perfectly into two pieces.

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

One month later

Milneas Regional Airport

"All passengers on Flight 1808 from MegaCity International can now pick up their baggage in the baggage claim."

A group of dancers and actors stood at the entrance of the airport as the small plane let off its passengers on the tarmac, welcoming the new visitors to their island with native songs and flower wreathes. The departing passengers were a motley crew, consisting of honeymooners, retirees looking for solace, college students and teenagers enjoying their summer breaks, families, and one certain family made up of a single father- a rocket scientist skilled in chemistry and biological manipulation – and his three far from ordinary daughters.

You see, this family was none other than Professor Utonium, famed scientist, and his three superhero daughters, the Powerpuff Girls. Sixteen years ago, the Professor tried to create the perfect little girl by combining sugar, spice, and everything nice. However, he added one extra ingredient to the concoction; Chemical X. Thus, the Powerpuff Girls were born! Using their superpowers, Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup, have dedicated their lives to fighting crime, and the forces of evil!

However, ten years have gone by, and physically the girls are in their teenage years, meaning the girls are at that awkward age where relationships, popularity, and changes affect a teenager's life.

But that's a story for another day. Today, the girls are concerned with one thing:

"Vacation, all I ever wanted! Vacation, have to get away! Vacation wish it would never end!" Bubbles sang along to her PSP7, with built-in holodvd player, remote access to the internet from anywhere on earth, downloadable songs… and a twenty-hour battery life.

Buttercup covered her ears, grimacing every second Bubbles continued on.

"Eighteen freaking hours of her singing… make it stop! Make it stop!"

Buttercup grabbed for the device, but Bubbles pulled away at the last second.

"Gimme that!"

"No!"

"Stop it you two!" Blossom jumped between them, holding Buttercup back from beating up Bubbles. In the ten years that passed since they were last in the world spotlight, the girls had done a lot of growing up, both physically and emotionally. Bubbles was still the ditz of the group, but everyone loved her for it. She wore pigtails, short skirts, and shirts that showed off her…er… assets. Buttercup had gone almost completely punk, preferring green and black leather gloves, fishnets, and black highlights. She was always itching for a fight, but she was now hooked on extreme sports. Blossom was the most conservative of the group, but that still didn't stop her from wearing a tank-top and sweatpants. Her ponytail stuck out almost the ground. She was smart, almost the equal of her boyfriend back home, and the leader of the team.

"Girls, must you always fight? And in the airport, of all places!" the Professor chimed in. "Buttercup, if you've got so much energy, why don't you get the bags for us?"

"Yes sir." she grunted, placing her hands behind her head mockingly. Bubbles stuck out her tongue at Buttercup.

Buttercup walked over to the baggage claim where the bags were falling into the rotating carousel and started grabbing several of the family's bags and piling them together. Since they had brought a lot of baggage, many of them tall and heavy, the pile was pretty big.

"Hey, cutie." Buttercup looked over her shoulder to see two muscle-bound idiots standing behind her. "Those bags look a little heavy for you. Why don't you let a couple of _men_ carry that for you?"

Buttercup gave them a glare before flashing a wide smile.

"Why don't you go take some more steroids, meathead?"

"What'd you say, girly?" One of the guys crossed his arms while the other started pounding his fist into his other palm.

"I said, wimps like you guys don't have any guts!" She turned to face them, hands in a fighting position.

"Why you little…"

"Bring it on, big man!"

"Buttercup!" Buttercup stopped in her tracks. She turned towards the Professor, who was standing with Blossom and Buttercup at the exit. "Come on, we're going!"

The two guys were chuckling. "Yeah, _Buttercup_. Don't want to be late."

Buttercup relaxed, placing her hands on her hips. "_Sigh_. Whatever. Consider yourselves lucky."

"Ha! Yeah right, you beat us?"

With one hand, Buttercup lifted the pile of baggage directly above her head. She walked out towards her family without any sign of difficulty.

"Woah." said the clearly bewildered meathead.

* * *

"Seriously, Buttercup, what am I going to do with you? You can't go around starting fights, it's not proper behavior! The principal said that if you don't calm down, they're going to kick you out of school."

The professor and the girls were riding in a rented car down the main highway of Milneas Island. Bubbles was still listening to her music while staring out the window. Buttercup sat all the way in the back lounging.

"Just keeping my skills sharp in case of another Cluster attack." she snapped her fingers.

"That's no excuse for beating up your classmates, young lady! Do I have to send you to military school?"

Buttercup grimaced. Nothing was worse for her to hear than the Professor threatening to send her somewhere where she wasn't free to do as she pleased. "No…"

"Good. Maybe this summer we can discuss your problems at school, alright honey?"

"Yeah, whatever."

"I just want to see you succeed. All of you. That's what any father would want, right?"

"Yes Professor." All three girls said at once.

The car became quiet, which saddened the Professor a little. His girls were growing up and he wanted the best for them. But it was tough as a single parent simply taking care of three teenage girls, much less super-powered ones who had several times before been the last hope of a besieged world. Soon, they would leave his home for their own lives, and like any parent, he wouldn't know what to do without them around.

Looking out the window, the jungle cleared, revealing the beach in the distance.

"Look girls, the beach!"

All three quickly looked out the windows at the main reason they loved summer so much. The waters of Milneas looked crystal blue, and the waves were strong and smooth.

"Whee!" Bubbles said eagerly. "Bikinis, virgin daiquiris, and cute guys!"

"Jet skiing, wakeboarding, and surfing, surfing, surfing!" added Buttercup.

"Look out beach, here come the Powerpuff Girls!"

All three put their fists together in a cheer. "Hoo-Yah!" they shouted.

The hotel they were staying at came into view. They drove towards it… to it… past it?

"Um, Professor," Blossom started, "didn't we just pass our hotel?"

The Professor tugged at his Hawaiian shirt nervously. "Heh heh… well, there's a friend of mine on a nearby island, and I thought we'd visit him."

Buttercup leaned over the front seat. "This wouldn't happen to be another of your 'vacations' where an old friend needs our help, and we end up fighting some giant bug, or deranged cult, etc., would it Professor?"

"Not exactly, Buttercup. We're going to see Dr. Acari, a friend of mine."

All three girls groaned at once.

"Now, girls, he just asked me to examine some ruins. No harm there."

"That's what they all say," added Buttercup.

"He also paid for all of our expenses while we're here."

"Heheh, oops."

"Professor, can't we just have a normal vacation?" asked Blossom.

The Professor thought for a moment, then smiled. "How about this? We'll go see my friend, then we'll spend the rest of the day on the beach, no interruptions."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

* * *

On Progenies Island, the Utonium family underwent several inspections before they were even allowed to set foot on the island. Finally, they were allowed through security.

"What's with the Johnny Law routine?" Buttercup muttered.

"Excuse me," the Professor asked a nearby soldier, "where's Dr. Acari?"

The soldier pointed out a row of trenches where the workers were busy. Walking over, Professor pointed at an older man wearing a hat that resembled Indiana Jones.

"That's Professor Acari, girls."

He was talking to a few other archaeologists while they were examining a strange pot being held by a Japanese man.

Blossom spotted the good doctor, when suddenly she recognized the man holding the pot.

"No way! Girls, look who it is!" she pointed towards the group.

Buttercup and Bubbles looked in the direction of Blossom's finger, only to be amazed at who she was pointing at.

"It's… Sensei Jack!" shouted Bubbles.

Sure enough, conferring with Dr. Acari was none other than their former teacher Jack-sensei. The girls hadn't seen him since they graduated from Middle School. He had on a tight black t-shirt which seemed to be molded to his extremely toned body. He also had sunglasses on to protect his eyes from the sun, making him look like a movie star.

"Professor Acari!" Professor Utonium waved to his friend.

"Sensei Jack!" Bubbles waved to her old teacher.

Both stopped what they were doing and moved toward the Utonium family, crossing the boundary line set up by the UN soldiers. Professor Acari immediately walked up to Professor Utonium and shook his hand.

"Utonium, my good man, how have you been?"

"Excellent, Professor. I haven't seen you since graduate school, sir."

"And these must be your daughters. How do you do?" He tipped his hat to them.

"Good, sir." Blossom responded.

"Hello girls." Jack-sensei greeted his former students.

"Hello Jack-sensei." Blossom and Bubbles said.

"Please, call me Jack-san. I'm not your teacher anymore." He looked at Buttercup. "And hello to you, Buttercup."

Buttercup blushed. She couldn't look at him directly. "H-hello, Jack-san." _Dang!_ she thought, _I knew he was hot but dang! And now he's got that older man thing going on!_

Professor Acari motioned over to the nearby campsite where tents were set up.

"We were just about to sit down to lunch. Won't you and your family join us? Then, I can explain why I asked you to come here."

They all walked over to one of the larger tents, pulling back the flap to reveal a cool and airy inside with a large round table set up with cold drinks and some sandwiches prepared in the center. Sitting at one end of the table was a middle-aged Hong Kong man reading some scrolls. When the group entered, he immediately stood up to greet them.

Dr. Acari motioned towards him. "Professor Utonium, I'd like you to meet the exceptional archaeologist and martial artist, Jackie Chan. Jackie, this is Professor Utonium."

The two men shook hands. "It's nice to meet you, Professor."

"I've asked Mr. Chan here as an archaeologist and guide. Now, why don't we all sit down and I'll explain why I asked you all here."

They each took their seats around the table, Buttercup making sure to sit right next to Jack.

Dr. Acari took a swig of his drink before beginning. "Girls, I'm sure you're hungry, you can dig in if you want to. Now, where to start? How about we start with the finding of Milneas and Progenes? Jackie, would you do the honors?"

Jackie cleared his throat. "Back around 1970, a British baron, along with his wife and father, were sailing the Good Ship Betty Anne in the seas around here when a mighty storm brewed, sending the tiny ship crashing into Milneas Island. They were stranded here, but managed to survive. Over time they were found, but by that time they had young children and were content to live on the island. So, an exchange student from New York came to live amongst them. Due to its remote nature and beautiful waters, others soon took interest in the island, prompting it to become an independent island-nation. The son of the baron became the first President, and he made Milneas into the beautiful nation it is today. Since then, Milneas has become a prosperous island resort, with one major city consisting of three main parts. Lu, the southernmost part, is where the rich and famous live in sheltered communities with private beaches. Michelene, the main part of the city, contains a sprawling commercial center which attracts a large crowd of young party-seekers. The northernmost area of the city, Og, is the intellectual center of the island. It is also named after the first President. It contains Og University, a young yet very prestigious school, as well as sprawling excavation camps where explorers, archaeologists, and scholars search the ruins for artifacts from a long-lost civilization that disappeared in the ice age."

"And that's why we're here," Dr. Acari cut in, "here on Progenies; we've found tombs and chambers dating back to the Ice Age. I believe that the civilization that was here may be the precursor of all others. This is a very important discovery."

Professor Utonium had a confused look on his face. "So why did you ask me here? I'm not an archaeologist."

Dr. Acari cupped his chin in his hands. "We've hit a snag. Something that I think you have some expertise in, Utonium."

"I'd love to help, Issac, but I also promised my girls we'd have a real vacation."

"That's alright, Utonium. We just need you. They can go back to Milneas and explore."

"I wouldn't feel safe leaving them alone."

"If I may?" Jack said. "There's been a few kidnappings on the island. I think it would be for the best if the girls had someone older with them. Dr. Acari, don't you have that graduate student from America interning for you? I think she would be a perfect guide. We could also let your niece go with them, Jackie."

Jackie shrugged. "Why not? I can't get her to stay still anyway."

Jack walked out the back of the tent and was gone for a few minutes. The flap opened again, and he walked back inside followed by an attractive redhead in her twenties and a stunning Chinese girl the Powerpuff's age, wearing headphones and chewing gum.

"Girls, this is Frankie, a student who's working with us, and Jade, Mr. Chan's niece. Frankie, Jade, would you mind taking the Powerpuff girls back to Milneas and take them on a tour?"

Frankie gave a little mock salute. "Sure thing, Jack-san – wait, did you say the Powerpuff girls! Oh…my…goodness, my friend Mac talks about you all the time! You guys are awesome!"

Jade walked up to Buttercup and gave her a head nod. "S'up? You kick some serious butt."

Dr. Acari clapped. "It looks like you girls will get along nicely. Take the ferry back to Milneas. I promise you we won't keep your father for long."

All the girls headed out towards the ferry, chattering amongst themselves. Once they were out of hearing, the four men turned back to business.

"So, once again, why have you asked me here?" asked Professor Utonium.

"Come with us." said Dr. Acari, suddenly serious.

* * *

Back on Milneas, the girls were busy walking down the bustling main street, packed with vendors, beachside restaurants, skate shops, arcades, record stores, and everything else you'd expect from a bustling beach community.

Frankie was walking next to Blossom, explaining all the sights along the road. Jade and Buttercup were walking a few steps behind them, talking about surfing. Bubbles trailed last, taking in all the different shops and restaurants.

"And this is Ocean Drive, the main road through Michelene. The board walk starts on Ocean and 30th, and goes all the way down to first street. At the end, there's Cinema Square, an amusement park where every night there's a different theme, and everyone dresses up and there's actors who get the crowd involved in their performances. It's loads of fun. Then there's Starlight Alley, where all the clubs are, and there's a giant arcade there that's two stories tall!"

"Awesome, did you hear that, Bubbles." Blossom said, not looking behind her. When she didn't get any response, she turned around. "Bubbles?"

"AAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!" The entire group turned quickly at the sound of Bubbles scream, ready for anything.

Bubbles was staring at a poster on a telephone pole, hands clasped in front of her.

"What is it, Bubbles!" Blossom said, running up beside her.

"Puffy AmiYumi! Puffy AmiYumi!" she shouted happily.

"Huh?" said Frankie.

They all looked at the poster on the telephone pole:

_One night only!_

_Globe, BeForU, Gorillaz, and Puffy AmiYumi,_

_Live at the Dynamite Rave, Tuesday Night!_

"That's tomorrow night." said Jade.

"The Dynamite Rave," said Frankie, "that's the new one that just opened in Starlight Alley."

She thought for a moment. "Okay. Tomorrow we can make it a full day out, and end it by going to that club. Then you girls won't be able to say you didn't have a good time."

They all laughed and walked on, oblivious to the hooded figure watching them from a nearby booth filled with odd medicines and spices. He was a gangly figure, with a hunched back when he stood. On the counter to his booth sat an orange cat with black marks in his otherwise smooth fur, which the man petted.

"Well, well, well, look who it is, my pet. This could be interesting. Go."

The cat quickly leapt off the counter and ran towards the girls. The man locked his fingers together.

"Most interesting indeed."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

"I'm sorry about Aus." said Professor Utonium.

"He was a good man," replied Dr. Acari. "None of us could have predicted what happened."

"What did happen?"

"We found a hidden chamber placed suspiciously beneath the statue of the Black Queen, a bad omen for the native culture. Inside, I believe Aus and his team found several artifacts of the ancient civilization."

"The highly advanced Ice Age civilization, correct?"

"Exactly. However, some sand from where we opened the hole fell on another artifact. When it was uncovered, we found a rock that reacted to the sun. Upon full direct contact with the sun, the stone absorbed the sunlight, creating a massive reaction which fired huge bursts of energy into space. Sadly to say, no one inside the tomb was spared. The UN and the Global Police Force tried to keep the situation stable, but several countries have been alarmed by the blasts, and are sending forces to this area. We don't have much time, Utonium. That's why I called you here. Your work with the superheroes against super villains makes you our best source of information for what could possibly be the most powerful weapon in human existence."

The four men walked out of the jungle brush into the clearing where the excavation site was located. Professor Utonium was surprised to find several pyres set up in a circle around the statue of the queen, as well as a few workers bowed before the queen, whispering strange words.

"Dr. Acari, what are they doing?" asked the Professor, astonished.

Dr. Acari grunted. "Since the incident, a sort of cult has arisen amongst the natives. They see the incident as an act of god, and have begun worshipping this queen, despite the irony it was her fault they became trapped on this island."

Seeing the four men approaching, several natives got up from their prayers and banded together to block them. They wielded only shovels and pickaxes, but had fiery looks in their eyes.

Dr. Acari began yelling at them in their native language, to which they responded in kind. Professor Utonium turned to Jack and Jackie.

"What are they saying?"

"They see this area as their personal holy land, and we're trespassing pagans." replied Jackie.

Finally, several members of the UN guard walked over and threatened the natives with their guns. The natives angrily stepped back, but remained as close as they could without the guards yelling at them to step back.

The four men approached the hole, and Dr. Acari peered down into the hole.

"Brock! Brock, how's the situation down there?" he shouted.

A gruff voice shouted back up. "The rock is still stable. You're clear to come down."

Dr. Acari handed the Professor a pair of thick gloves.

"Well Utonium, if I remember correctly, you aced my class, but failed intramurals. I think you're going to wish you did better."

"Why's that, doctor?" the Professor said warily.

Dr. Acari smiled. "No rappels here. How are you at fast-roping?"

Down in the tomb, Professor Utonium rubbed his behind while he approached the holding area for the stone. Even though he had done better than he thought he would, he had still fallen too fast and landed bum-first on the ground. The others came down easily, having obviously done fast-roping before.

The Professor observed on the far side of the room a box protected by an electronic field that blocked out light, making the area around the box dark as night. Every precaution to protect the contents inside was taken. The box had been placed on a platform that was geo-stabilized so it could survive any accidental blows or earth-shakes. Even the assistants working around it wore non-reflective clothing and night-vision goggles for observing the rock. They walked inside the protective field and peered through a hole in the box designed to let in as little light as possible.

A large blond-haired man strolled up to the four with extra protective clothes and goggles.

"Utonium, this is my assistant/bodyguard, Brock Samson."

"Bodyguard?" Professor Utonium gaped as he put on the gear.

"You can never be too careful." Brock responded. "Besides, I've dealt with situations like this before. In the words of a certain teenage superhero, 'no big.'"

"Right this way, Professor," one of the assistants motioned.

Professor Utonium walked into the protective field and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness before putting on his NV goggles. He stooped to peer inside the box as the assistant opened a slot for him. He spent several minutes peering inside, trying to take in every angle of the rock. Satisfied, the Professor pulled his head out, took off his goggles, and stepped outside the protective field.

"From my first observations, this is the most extraordinary stone I have ever seen. If harnessed correctly, I believe it could be a much more powerful and efficient energy source than even nuclear fusion, with little to no environmental effects. Fascinating!"

Dr. Acari clapped. "Amazing, Utonium! All that from one observation! Aren't you glad I talked you out of being an accountant?"

"Though I'd like to take a sample…"

Jackie watched as the two men of science chatted on about the stone, obviously engrossed by its capabilities. This was their field of expertise and their time to shine, since the rock was the most important part of this discovery. Sure, there were various paintings, carvings, and glyphs on the wall waiting to be translated and archived, but their worth paled in comparison to an energy source that promised to end human need. Still, he was an archaeologist, and he would take this dig in stride. Plus, it allowed him to get Jade out of the house, away from the malls, and most important, out of Uncle's hair, since the old man, despite his vitality, was starting to feel his age.

Jackie looked to his compatriot, Jack. Now here was a question mark of a man. Despite Dr. Acari's unyielding trust in the man, very little was known about the man named Jack, except that he had a deep knowledge of several world cultures, including ancient Egypt, Sparta, Zulu, and the feudal age of his home country, as well as a passion for archaeology. But compared to the credentials of the prestigious minds here, he was a bit out of place. Still, he was an easy-going guy and got along with others well, so Jackie had no complaints.

Right now, however, Jack wasn't interested in either the stone or the walls. He was busy staring into a dark corner of the tomb, an empty and uninteresting part of the wall where there were no carvings or glyphs, but merely sandstone.

"Is something wrong?" Jackie finally asked.

"Do you hear chanting?" Jack replied.

"What?"

"Gentlemen!" Jack spoke to everyone in the tomb. "Could I have silence, please? It will only be for a moment."

Everyone quieted down as Jack listened intently. Somewhere in a far off place underground, a whisper was coming through the rock around them.

"I can hear it too, Jack." the Professor said.

Indeed, the chanting was getting louder. The voice was high-pitched and sounded like the squealing of the mouse at first, before growing louder to an ear-wrenching pitch.

"Where's that coming from?" asked Jackie.

"I don't like this," Brock said, producing a pistol he kept hidden in his jacket.

The chanting suddenly stopped. The silence in the room was maddening.

Suddenly, they all heard moaning and groaning, from directly below them.

Bony hands ripped through the rock floor, stabbing outward and grabbing as if they were desperately reaching for life. The Professor and Dr. Acari stumbled back towards the protective barrier as more hands blasted through.

"Ahh!" the Professor shouted as one hand reached out and grabbed his ankle.

_Thwak!_ Using his feet, Jackie kicked the hand, breaking it off the bone and sending it flying across the room. Jack and Brock created a protective circle around the assistants, Jack grabbing a nearby stake which held a light on top, and Brock armed his guns.

The bony hands dug their way to the surface, revealing skeleton bodies attached. They rose out of their graves, emotionless and single-minded, with their faces locked into bony grins and their bodies already searching for the living.

"What are they?" Brock shouted.

"Temple guards!" Jack shouted back. "They probably protected the stone in life, and were buried with their charge!"

"Sorry boys," Brock yelled, firing a bullet into one of the skeleton's head, "your tenure is long expired!" The head exploded into a million pieces. However, despite the head being gone, the body still advanced.

The three fighters of the group moved into the skeletons. Jack swung at them with the stick, making heads literally roll and starting impromptu baseball and golf games. Jackie did the same, except using his legs he played a little soccer. Brock continued to empty clips into the skeletons, stopping only when they got too close, which at that point he resorted to good old-fashioned beat down, even grabbing two skeletons and smashing their heads together.

Jack tripped, smacked, and slapped the skeletons around. Jackie flipped, kicked, and bent it like Beckham. Brock laid the smack down. However, despite their best efforts, the skeletons kept coming, even the ones who sans arms, heads, or various other body parts. A few even crawled or hopped towards the heroes.

"Um, guys, they're not stopping. Anybody got a plan?

Jackie noticed some shards of a broken skull near him. One of the pieces was almost whole, and had a symbol burned into it.

"Look! A Dao Shi symbol!" he pointed at the skull.

"A what?" Brock shouted back, still blasting.

"The mark of a corpse herder, one who reanimates the dead! If we defeat the controller, all the skeletons will disappear! Jack, flash your light around!"

Jack swung the lamp around, illuminating various parts of the tomb. When the light passed over a certain corner, the darkness moved as if it had a mind of its own.

"There Jack, that's the controller, follow him with the light!" Chan shouted.

Jack followed the darkness as quickly as he could. It moved very fast, almost faster than Jack could keep up. Realizing it couldn't outrun the light forever, it quit running and instead charged the group. Ten long and very sharp blades appeared out of the darkness, pointed directly at Jack.

Everyone dove out of the way as the blades flashed through the air. They missed, but took out Jack's lamp, which fell to the ground, smashing into a million pieces.

Professor Utonium, having been pulled away by a fast-thinking Dr. Acari, stumbled into the light protection field, knocking over two of the pylons, which fell to the ground and rolled away. As the field was broken, the pylons fired out laser beams to recalibrate their area. The laser beams shot from corner to corner, finally connecting with most of the room in their radius.

Realizing what was happening, Dr. Acari looked frantically for the main control box of the field.

"Quick!" he shouted at his assistants, "turn off the field before it activates!"

_Too late_, thought Jack as the room was suddenly plunged into pitch black. None of them could see their hands in front of their faces. Stumbling around, they all quickly became disoriented and lost each other.

"Where is everyone?" Brock shouted. "Dr. Acari, Professor Utonium, are you alright?"

"HEE HEE HEE HEE!" the high-pitched voice returned, stopping everyone in their tracks. "Like little blind mice, scurrying in the dark!"

_Where are you, bastard,_ thought Brock. His adrenaline was starting to pump, so much so that he could feel his pulse pounding.

"Your heart beats like a drum, telling me ex-actly where you are!"

This statement froze Brock in his place. From what he was saying, this opponent was skilled in hunting without sight. Brock had no way of countering this tough an opponent, especially without night-vision, which was lost in the darkness.

"So many vital points to choose from, each so lethal! Where to strike first?"

The voice was mocking him now. Brock was about to blow his top, but he couldn't see what direction to vent his anger in.

"Brock!" Another voice came through the darkness. Brock recognized it as Jack's. "Calm down!"

Though Brock could not see it, Jack was standing completely still with his eyes closed, concentrating on his other senses and allowing his chi to flow evenly through his body.

"There!" Jack bounded through the air, pushing Brock to the ground then flipping again to knock the two Professors out of the way before delivering a punishing dropkick to the head of the attacker. Using his momentum, Jack pushed off the floor again, sending himself into a roundhouse. The attacker dodged the attack, but Jack's foot connected with one of the night field generators, knocking it to the ground. The field broke again and light returned to the chamber. Jack grabbed Professor Utonium and Dr. Acari and pushed them towards the pillar of light coming from the hole on the surface. The three of them made it to the light.

"Bernard! Bernard!" Jack shouted.

On the surface, one of the young researchers ran to the hole and peered inside.

"Bernard, throw me my sword! Quickly, run fast!"

Bernard took off as fast as he could to the tents. In a flash, he was back carrying Jack's personal sword.

"Here!" he tossed the sword down into the hole, which Jack caught and quickly unsheathed. Holding the sword directly in front of him at a forty-five degree angle, Jack concentrated again, searching for the attacker.

In the room, he saw the figure of Brock still stumbling around. Jack realized he was limping, probably from being hit in the leg.

"Brock, this way!" Jack shouted. Following the sound of Jack's voice, Brock turned and headed towards the light.

Suddenly, Jack saw a fast movement directly behind Brock. Readying his sword to charge, Jack yelled, "Brock, get down!"

Instinctively, Brock hit the floor, but Jack readying his sword had the unanticipated effect of reflecting light from the surface towards Brock.

"Ah!" Brock covered his eyes, blinded by the reflected light. The light also hit the attacker, who had a much different reaction.

"Aiiiiiiiieeeeeeeee!" the attacker screamed, and Jack finally got a good look at the assailant. It was a rotted corpse with very little flesh and muscle still on its bones, wearing a tattered cloak. Its bony hands ended at long, sharp blades for fingers. When the light hit its face, the remaining flesh on it burned up, obviously causing the thing pain. It quickly retreated back into the darkness.

"It can't stand sunlight." Jack realized. "Bernard! Send down a high-powered lamp!"

Up on the surface, Bernard ran back to the tents and grabbed one of the sunlamps they kept for illuminating dark tombs. Attaching an extension cord to it, he picked up the large lamp and ran back for the hole.

However, as he approached the hole, Bernard was suddenly struck in the back with a blunt object. He crumpled to the ground in great pain. Looking up, he realized that his attacker was one of the natives carrying a shovel.

"The natives are rioting!" yelled the Captain of the UN soldiers. The workers, wielding their tools, were blocking the way to the hole and refused to budge.

"Bernard, I need that lamp now!" The dark shadow was moving fast again, obviously trying to flank Brock at an angle where Jack couldn't protect him.

Up above, the UN soldiers fired tear gas at the natives. Having never been gassed before, the natives scattered in fear. Another assistant grabbed the sunlamp and ran for the hole. He tossed the lamp down the hole.

Jack flicked the switch. Nothing happened.

"Turn on the power!" Dr. Acari yelled.

The shadow charged at Brock, all ten blades on its hands readied to strike.

"Turn it on now or Brock dies!"

The lamp flashed on, blinding Jack but lighting up the entire room. The shadow stopped moving and screamed, shattering into hundreds of tiny pieces which ran for the wall and the far side, where the pieces of the shadow disappeared into what was now the outline of a door.

Dr. Acari ran to Brock to check on his bodyguard's condition. The big man had a large cut on his leg, but was otherwise fine. The two assistants were fine as well, having stayed near the stone, which the attacker had avoided. Looking over, Dr. Acari was relieved to find that they had made sure the box containing the stone remained untouched, ensuring that the stone could not show its destructive power. There was only one member missing.

"Where's Jackie?" he shouted.

"Over there," Jack pointed.

Dr. Acari looked to see Chan sitting on top of a large pile of skeleton bones. Jack walked over to Chan and gave him a smile.

"Good work taking down the skeletons."

"I couldn't let you have all the fun." The two shook hands impressed with each others abilities.

Professor Utonium wiped his brow, now sweating profusely from the adrenaline rush.

"What was that thing?" he asked. "Where did it come from? Why did it attack us?"

"We don't know what it was," Jackie said, "but we do know some things about it. It had the ability to reanimate skeletons. That means it has some access to Chinese magic."

"It was also smart enough to try and pick off our members who it knew posed a threat," Brock chimed in.

"It was after the stone." Jack said sternly. He placed his hand against the wall where the outline of a door was now etched into the stone. Finding a piece of stone that gave, he pushed it in. The stone wall opened like a door to reveal a staircase that went far into the dark depths. Dr. Acari stepped next to Jack to peer down the stairwell.

"Agree." said Dr. Acari. "And when the sun goes down, it will probably come back. We should move the stone to the surface and place it in a well-lit area. As for this new chamber, I'll gather a team and we'll go down tomorrow. We've had too much excitement for one day." Jack noticed he was taking deep, raspy breaths.

Professor Utonium was more than relieved to see the sun once he reached the surface. He had been pulled up by a pulley attached to a large truck. On the surface, however, he was shocked to see the camp wrecked, with several tents burned and both assistants and soldiers being treated for injuries sustained by the worker riot. Several natives were on the ground tied up, being guarded by the UN soldiers. A large crowd of them stood together, chanting and screaming at the scientists as they were pulled out of the hole.

Then, a hush fell over the gathering. The box containing the stone came out of the ground. Upon seeing this, the natives fell to their knees and bowed in reverence. Professor Utonium was shocked again that the unruly mob a few seconds ago had suddenly become doting worshippers.

"Damn cultists," said Brock, as he stumbled towards the medical tent, the makeshift bandages around his leg now a maroon red.

"Are you alright, Professor?"

The Professor turned to find Jackie Chan standing behind him.

"Yes, Mr. Chan, just a little shaken up." Shaken up weren't the words. For a few moments, he had been completely enveloped by fear, not for his own sake, but by the thought that he would never see his daughters again.

Chan nodded. "Dr. Acari asked me to take you back to the hotel. There's still some daylight left. You can get started on you vacation."

* * *

At the hotel, all the girls were hanging out at the pool. Jade and Buttercup were in the midst of challenging Frankie and Blossom to a game of chicken.

Jade was on Buttercup's shoulders, while Blossom was on top of Frankie.

"Let's see what you got, Powerpuff!" yelled Jade, giving Blossom a good push, almost knocking Frankie off balance.

"You can dish it out, but can you take it?" shouted Blossom, giving Jade a push. However, forgetting her super-strength, Blossom knocked Jade back about ten feet, sending her flying into the water.

"Oh my gosh! Jade, are you okay? I'm so sorry!"

Jade popped out of the water unharmed, spitting out a bunch of water.

"That…was… AWESOME! Can you do that again?"

The four of them laughed.

"Buttercup, diving contest!"

"You're on!" Jade and Buttercup ran for the diving board.

"No running!" Frankie shouted playfully. She swam to the edge of the pool and pulled herself onto the edge, laying back to take in the sunlight.

Blossom swam up to the edge next to Frankie and put her elbows on the side. She looked at Frankie laid back in the sun and felt a little embarrassed. Blossom was still developing, while Frankie was at her peak.

_She's so beautiful, and she's probably really smart too._ "Frankie, can I ask you about college?"

"Sure, what do you want to know?"

"With admissions, and recommendations, and interviews, and all that, I'm worried I might not get into a good school. Plus, they don't exactly give preference to superheroes, especially ones who might lure giant monsters onto campus. I've worked hard, I just don't know if it was enou…"

Blossom was surprised when Frankie put a finger to Blossom's mouth, quieting the teenage leader.

"Let me tell you a story, Blossom. Once, there was a red-headed girl who got out of high school with grades that would have made a monkey laugh. No colleges wanted her. But she decided that she wouldn't listen to them. She went to community college, and got a job at a foster home. Through the college and the job, she learned business and management, how to maintain a budget, taxes, people skills, etc. By busting her butt for two years, she graduated with a degree and offers from some very prestigious schools. She went to a famous business school and kept working hard. Then, a certain alumnus needed someone to watch over his affairs while he focused his time digging in the dirt. And that's how she got hired to work on one of the most important discoveries in human history. The moral of the story is, if I could do it, I know you can Blossom. Just keep working hard and I'm sure you'll do fine"

Blossom smiled. "Thanks Frankie."

Sitting on the side of the pool, Bubbles sat basking in the sun, playing with the orange cat that followed them to the hotel.

"You're such a pretty kitty." She scratched behind the cat's ears, which made the cat purr. "I think I'll name you Mittens." The cat stuck out its tongue and gave a weird look. It then climbed up to the top of the pool chair where Bubbles was sitting.

"Where you going, Mittens?" Bubbles asked.

"Jackknife!" A large wave of water flew out of the pool, splashing Bubbles but missing the cat completely. The cat made hisses like it was laughing.

Bubbles didn't notice, however. She was more annoyed at her sister.

"Buttercup! You got me all wet!"

"Aw, is the baby going to melt?" Buttercup stuck out her tongue.

"That's it!" shouted Bubbles, charging the pool, "Cannonball!" She landed in the pool, splashing water all over Buttercup and Jade.

"Water fight!" shouted Jade. The three girls splashed each other frantically. Some water hit Frankie.

"Ah! Okay, I'm in!" Frankie jumped back in the pool and started flicking water at Buttercup, who returned in kind. Blossom joined in as well, and all the girls were soon splashing each other in a water-war to end all water-wars.

To be continued…


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

Bubbles walked down a hallway of the hotel towards the open-air bath where her sisters were hanging out. The hotel as well as the island was very Japanese, with large open-air hot springs which served as the baths. She was humming a song to herself when she noticed one of the hotel rooms on her left had its door cracked open.

She realized that this room was the one Jack-sensei was staying in. She stopped for a moment outside and listened to hear if there was any movement inside. While it probably wasn't a good idea to be sneaking around Jack's room, he was a very hot older man, and Bubbles couldn't resist peeking around, but only for a moment. She opened the door slowly and peered inside. The hotel rooms were built so that there was a very small room at the entrance with a sliding door that blocked off the large bedroom. Bubbles sneaked through, making sure to close the door to where it was before, and then approached the sliding door. She pulled it back slowly.

What she saw inside shocked her. In the center of the room was a table with an open book, some paper, and some writing utensils, as well as some other books stacked next to it. Posted on the floor and around the walls were many paintings and drawings, most of which were of strange, evil looking creatures. Many of them showed demons eating humans, or men on dark horses riding down upon innocent villagers. The largest painting showed a mighty black figure watching as a feudal Japanese castle burned.

"What are you doing here, Bubbles?"

"Eek!" Bubbles spun around, scared, only to find Jack standing directly behind her, another book in his hand. Jack gave her an inquisitive look, not an angry one. He was holding a tea pot in the other hand.

"Um…" she stammered, "I was just… seeing if you wanted to go to the hot springs with us!" She blushed, realizing just how presumptuous that statement sounded.

Jack smiled. "Thank you, Bubbles, but I'll pass. I've got some work to do."

Jack walked to his table and placed the book down beside the open one.

"Um, Jack-sama?" Bubbles asked.

"Yes?"

"What is all this?" Bubbles motioned to all the paintings in the room.

Jack thought for a moment, and then motioned for Bubbles to sit across from him at his table.

"Bubbles, let me tell you a story. Tea?"

Bubbles sat down and took the cup of tea, which was hot and steaming.

Jack opened one of his books, showing a mighty kingdom.

"Once there was a mighty kingdom in feudal Japan, ruled over by a wise and kind lord. The people were hard-working and prosperous, and the kingdom was well known throughout the land as being home to the noblest of the noble warriors known as the samurai. Then, one day, an evil sorcerer came to the kingdom, seeking to conquer it. He laid waste to the outskirts, and then commanded his dark armies to destroy the rest. But the lord was not a weakling. Leading his mighty warriors into battle, the lord fought the sorcerer's armies and pushed them back.

But, just as victory was assured, the sorcerer sent four prophets of destruction to the battlefield. These four were evil beings who had pledged themselves to the sorcerer.

There was Itami, the prophet of pain, who delighted in battle, and, weaving into melees, he showed no mercy to his opponents.

Ekirei, the prophet of pestilence, another sorcerer who was skilled in dark magic. He spread poison and disease across the lord's troops, and summoned horrible creatures to fight for his master.

Kaos, the prophet of chaos. He was not a fighter, but rather a master tactician. He commanded the armies of the sorcerer and outmaneuvered the brave samurai.

Finally, there was Shi, the prophet of death, the most powerful of the four. It was rumored he could kill hundreds with one blow.

These four destroyed the lord's army and took the lord prisoner. For twenty years, the country was in pain, the people slaves.

Then, one day, a lone samurai, wielding a magic sword, entered the sorcerer's lair. He fought each of the prophets and defeated them. Then, he fought the sorcerer himself, all alone. Their battle raged on for hours, neither backing down. When the sounds of battle ended, the lair grew silent."

Jack stopped his story. Bubbles was hanging on every word.

"And then what happened, Jack–sama?"

Jack leaned in close to Bubbles and whispered. "The samurai was never seen again. But neither was the sorcerer. Peace returned to the land. But they say, should evil ever return, so will the samurai. That's why I have all these pictures. I'm writing a book about the samurai's exploits, so that future generations may emulate his example. Do you feel better now?"

"Yes sir!" Bubbles said cheerily.

"Alright then. If you want me to tell you any more stories, stop by anytime."

"Okay!" said Bubbles as she left the room.

Jack smiled, happy that his former students were doing well in life. His expression quickly changed as he turned his attention back to his books. He flipped to a page that showed a man wearing Chinese armor, though the armor was warped with dark spikes and blades coming out of it. Above the man was the name Itami.

"The demon's curse is upon him…so how can I defeat him if he won't die?" Jack read off the writing next to the picture.

Suddenly, Jack grabbed his sword and spun around, realizing that someone was watching him. He relaxed when he found that it was only an orange cat sitting on the railing. Out on the balcony, two small green eyes stared directly at him. The cat made Jack uncomfortable, until it turned away and jumped off the balcony. Jack ran outside to try and catch the cat, but when he got to the balcony, it was gone.

Returning to his room, Jack flipped on the TV for the news.

"…marks the fifth kidnapping in one month. The girl was a young teenager, just like the other four. She was here on summer vacation with friends. Island police now believe that all of the kidnappings are connected to a single source. Police are worried that the rise in recent cult-like activity in the area may be the reason behind most of the kidnappings. If you have any information, please call local authorities. In international news, scientists are predicting that the massive asteroid which will pass through our galaxy will pass closer to Earth than originally predicted, but despite some electronic interference, officials state that there is no cause for alarm. It will be an amazing sight. The asteroid was first sighted a month ago traveling through the…"

* * *

Outside in the hot springs, the three Powerpuff Girls and their new friend Jade lounged in the water, chatting about their adventures.

"So, Mandark takes Blossom hostage, and, of course, her boy toy Dorkster, comes to rescue her!"

"Awww, isn't that _romantic_!" Jade said, giving extra emphasis on the last word.

"Hey, that wasn't funny, that was really scary. Mandark was nuts, and Dexter almost got killed!"

"All I'm saying, Jade, is that ever since then, it's been make-out city!" Buttercup made kissing noises. "Oh, Dexter, Dexter!"

"You!" Blossom dove at Buttercup and the two began wrestling in the hot springs as Jade laughed out loud.

Jade poked Bubbles with her elbow. "So, bubble-head, anyone special in your life?"

Bubbles thought for a moment. "Well, I have a dog, two parrots, a fish…"

Jade smacked herself in the face. "That's not what I meant."

Meanwhile, Blossom and Buttercup were still going at it.

"What about you, Buttercup? How about that time you went out Mitch? Or when you secretly joined the Gangrene gang? And there's your crush on Jack-sama!"

"Oh, wait, hello!" Jade shouted, obviously her interest peaked. "You mean Jack, the Jack whose working with my uncle?"

"Yep!" said Bubbles. "She's been head over heels since the day they met ten years ago."

"Oh really!"

Buttercup folded her arms and looked away. "Ha! I'm not into that mushy romance stuff. I'll take a skateboard over a boy any day."

"What about a man?" Blossom said slyly.

Despite her best efforts, Buttercup couldn't help but blush.

"That's none of your business!"

"_Buttercup and Jack,_

_Sitting in a tree,_

_K-I-S-S-I-N-"_

"That's it!" Buttercup jumped at Blossom and the water war began again.

* * *

The next day…

At the excavation site, Jack and Jackie Chan stood before a motley group of adventurers that Dr. Acari had hired the day before off Milneas Island. Since Brock was injured, Professor Utonium wasn't prepared for spelunking, and Dr. Acari was having chest pains, it sat on their shoulders to go down into the tomb and see what lay in its depths. The monster from yesterday had not turned up last night after sundown, since everyone had spent the night inside a well-lit quarantine zone.

Jack took a good long look at the seven people Dr. Acari had hired. Three of them were muscle-bound, no-neck grunts wearing military fatigues. They didn't look too bad in Jack's opinion. It was the other members of this group that worried him.

The first member was a large, muscle-bound man wearing a tight black t-shirt with black sunglasses and blond hair that stuck up like a greaser.

"What's your name?" Jack asked him.

The man struck several poses. "Hoo-ha-hoo! I'm Johnny Bravo."

"Uh-huh. Do you have any experience in exploring tombs?"

"Yes…no. How much are you paying?"

"Johnny!" the middle-aged woman next to Johnny spoke up. "I apologize, Mr.?"

"My friends call me Jack."

"Mr. Jack. I'm Mrs. Bravo, Johnny's mother, and he is very excited to be going along on this trip, right Johnny?"

"Yeah, whatever." Johnny looked towards the beach. "Yo, Jack dude, where's the babes on this island?"

Jack sighed and moved down the row, stopping at the graying, overweight man standing next to Mrs. Bravo.

"Name?"

"Pops is the name, spelunking is my game. Don't worry, son, I'm a tough old salt. In the Navy, they called me 'Anchor.'"

"Because you were the one who everyone placed their confidence in?" Jack asked hopefully.

"No, because I couldn't swim and I fell in a lot."

Jack just moved on to the next member, a scrawny man wearing coke-bottle glasses with long hair that stuck out in front.

"Name?"

"Carl J. Johansson, at your service. I'm Johnny's best friend in the world…"

"No!" Johnny yelled.

"…and I'll stay by your side no matter what."

"Um, okay." Jack said.

Carl waved his arms around strangely. "Yay! This is going to be just like that movie, Wisconsin Jake, where Jake travels to find the lost mines of King…"

Carl was still yammering on when Jack moved down the row, finally reaching what looked to be the most competent members of his makeshift team.

"Name?"

"Sir, Specially Trained Unit for Penetration of Island Dictatorships, at your service, sir!"

_Wait, what does that acronym spell?_ _S.T.U…_thought Chan, walking next to Jack. He smiled and had a little chuckle.

"Sir, we've spent the last few years smashing up crazed dictators, most of who were named Evil or had evil somewhere in their name or title, sir!"

"Great." Jack said walking away from the group with his shoulders slumped.

Jackie walked up next to him. "What do you think?"

Jack shook his head. "They're not prepared for what we might face. I trust Dr. Acari, but it's not too good to put these people in danger."

"We'll need someone to carry the equipment, though."

"Alright." Jack turned to the group. "Grab your gear! We're going into the tombs."

The team headed down into the tombs, but not without incident. Johnny dropped his gear twice, smashing several important objects inside. Pops loaded up his pack with lots of food, despite the fact that they were only going to be gone a few hours. Carl suggested building a gundam. Jack had to correct all of these problems, and they hadn't even gone down the hole yet.

Finally getting inside and down the staircase, Jack and the team (whom Carl had decided to name Pitfall team) headed down slowly, their flashlights piercing through the darkness.

After hours of searching up and down endless staircases, the team took a rest break while Jack and Jackie figured out where they were. The staircases led all over the excavation site, and more than once they had found what looked to be a dead end where actually there was a secret door that led to another site where workers and scientists were already at. They really hadn't found anything new, despite the fact that night would soon fall.

Jackie Chan scratched his head as he tried to make sense of the makeshift map one they had of the tombs.

"Twelve hours of searching and nothing. These tombs just seem to loop around endlessly."

Jack started knocking on the walls. "Since the entrance was hidden, perhaps there is another pathway also hidden in these walls."

Sitting on a staircase behind Jack and Chan, Johnny Bravo sat with his shoes off, rubbing his feet and moping about the all day trip.

"Why we gotta be in these stupid ruins anyway? There's no sun, no girls, and it smells funny."

Mrs. Bravo patted Johnny on the shoulder.

"Now Johnny, this is fun, and when do we ever get to spend time together as a family? So buck up, and push on, Johnny!"

"Aw, Momma, I'm tired, and my feet hurt, and it's dark down here, and AHHHHH GIANT BUG!"

A small roach crawled by on the stony ground. Momma Bravo smashed the bug with her shoe.

"Now, now, Johnny, it's just a few little bugs, nothing to worry about."

"Stupid bugs," Johnny said, kicking the crack where the bug came out of.

With a small rumble, the crack suddenly became larger, heading quickly up the wall. The section of rock crumbled into a pile. Behind the rock, hundreds of bugs of all sizes and types squirmed. When the section opened, all the bugs hiding behind the wall ran for cover.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Johnny ran screaming up the stairs.

"Johnny, wait!" Mrs. Bravo ran after him.

As soon as all the bugs had cleared out of the wall, one of the commandos peeked inside the new hole.

"Sir, you need to take a look at this!"

Jack and Chan put down the map and walked over to the hole and looked inside.

The hole opened to another staircase, this one leading almost straight down. It was very dark and damp, with a large amount of wear and tear, hinting at the lack of human interaction for a very long time. A cold wind whipped up the stairs, blowing Jack's loptop around and creating a howling echo…and something else.

"Do you hear…?" asked Jack.

"…someone shouting?" said Chan.

Jack and Jackie took off down the stairs, followed closely by the rest of their group, sans the Bravos. Down and downwards the stairs went, and it soon seemed as if there would be no end to them. But, after a few minutes of trekking down the staircase, the walls opened up to reveal a large room with four life-size statues of rock creatures surrounding a platform, each holding a torch in their hands.

In the center of the platform was a young woman chained to the floor. As soon as she saw the men entering, she yelled to them.

"Help me! Get me out of here!" she tugged at her chains, but they refused to budge.

Jack ran up the platform and knelt next to her while examining the manacles which held her wrists.

"Are you all right?" Jack noticed that other than her messed-up hair and tear-stained make-up, she was perfectly fine.

"Y-yes," she muttered through sobs, "I w-was with my friends at a club, and then I must have fallen asleep, but when I woke up, the-these guys were dragging me into a car."

Jackie reached into his backpack and pulled out a lock pick.

"Don't worry; we'll get you out of here. Who were the guys who grabbed you? What did they look like? Did they say why they kidnapped you?"

Chan managed to release one hand, which the woman used to wipe her wet face.

"They all had blue hair, but they didn't say much. They had another van, with a bunch of other girls in it. It took off in the other direction; I didn't see where they were headed."

"Blue-haired?" said Jackie.

"Natives," Jack replied. "After yesterday, I'd believe it."

Jackie looked around the large room. "What were they trying to accomplish bringing her here alone?"

"OH THAT'S SIMPLE!" The high-pitched voice returned to the chamber. Out of the ceiling, a whirlwind of black matter flew into the room, forming into a single cloaked figure at the other end, a toothy grin peeking out from the hood. Jack grabbed his sword and Jackie went to a fighting stance. The other members of the group also readied their weapons.

"SHE'S THE BAIT!" Their attacker raised his arms in the air and a black ball appeared in his hands. It fired out, striking all four statues in the head. Their eyes flashing white, the statues moved, turning towards the group.

They were surrounded.

To be continued…


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4

"This place is bumping!"

Entering into the club, the Powerpuff girls, along with their guide Frankie and their new best friend Jade, were all decked out in their best dance clothes, complete with glitter and high-heeled shoes.

The club was huge, featuring a massive dance floor with hundreds of TVs under the floor each flashing their own images or combining with the others to create a massive image. On side was a foam room where various teenagers danced and fooled around. On the other, a DJ table was set up. There was also a second floor above accessible by various staircases around the club. Up there were accesses to various hanging cages and adjoining rooms, some built for dancing, others blocked off from the lights and music and decked out with couches for tired partiers to sit. Above even the second floor were the rafters, but only a few professional dancers were allowed up there, since the dancers were attached to the ceiling by harnesses. The strutted their stuff to the music, providing an awesome sight to any watching below.

The main attraction was the large stage up front, built for accommodating the bands and singers which were the trademark of the club. It featured massive speakers, several rows of lights for various effects, pyrotechnics, and room for several acts at once. Right now, since no one was performing, the stage had been opened for dancing.

"Ugh. Techno." grunted Buttercup.

"Aw, c'mon, felt the rhythm!" said Jade, grabbing Buttercup by the wrist and dragging her into the center of the dancing throng.

"Let's check out the foam booth!" shouted Bubbles, pointing eagerly at the glass box bubbling with the stuff.

"This early?" said Frankie. "Let's enjoy ourselves first. I don't want to spend the entire night soaked."

The only person not caught up by the music was Blossom. She stared intently at the DJ. He was wearing a yellow alien costume complete with four arms and head phones that looked like horns, but were squarer. Even though they looked fake, the DJ used his two extra arms like it was totally natural, working all of his arms to spin the records and adjust the various knobs and effects. Though it didn't alarm Blossom, it did make her unsettled.

"Hey, Blossom!" Blossom turned towards Frankie, who was standing on top of a large box placed randomly on the dance floor. "You just going to stand there, or are you gonna dance?"

Blossom smiled and joined her friends on the dance floor.

* * *

"I'm too old for this!" shouted Pops, diving for cover as a large stone fist came down where he had been standing moments before.

Pops, Jack, Chan, and the commandos found themselves outmatched by four stone golems, seemingly imperious to any attack. The stone golems moved slowly, but when their punches built up momentum, they had the power to crush anything in their way.

Jackie jumped into the air and round-housed one of the golems directly in the head. The blow was extremely powerful, creating a small crater in the golem's face from which several cracks formed. However, the golem merely shook out the broken stone and kept coming.

Jackie came back to the ground hopping on the opposite foot.

"Ow, ow, ow, that wasn't smart." he muttered, before once again having to dive out of the way of the stone onslaught.

_Okay, Jackie, think. What would Uncle do in a situation like this?_

**Flashback 1 Year Earlier**

"Jackie! If you ever get in a battle with stone golems, here's what you do; stick your head between your legs and kiss your…"

**End Flashback**

"Okay, maybe it didn't happen that way. WOAH!" Two golems teamed up and tried to smash Jackie.

"How do we stop these things sir?" the leader of the commandos shouted to Jack. "Bullets don't harm them!"

Jack was having trouble with the golems as well. His sword, despite having its magic capabilities, had no effect on the golems since they were made from thick stone that couldn't be cut. Ducking under one of the golem's blows, he ran towards the shadowy warrior.

_He's controlling the golems. Take him down and…_

"Jack, look out!"

Jack turned to look towards the direction of Pops voice, only to be sideswiped by the swing of a golem's arm, sending the samurai flying across the room.

Seeing Jack get thrown across the room, Pops stopped running and turned back towards the fight.

"Nobody does that to any human, you…demonic…stupid…thing."

Rummaging around in one of the packs one of the commandos had brought alone and dropped, he pulled out a large weapon.

"Ooo, Bazooka. Take this!"

Firing the cannon, a fireball flew out of the straight at the cloaked figure, who was too busy controlling the golems against Jack to notice. The shot struck him, creating a huge explosion. In the fire, the old and tattered robe the figure wore quickly burned up, revealing the body underneath.

With the robe burned away, the heroes were horrified to find that their attacker was nothing more than a skeleton. His bones were bleached white, no muscle or skin left. Yet his bones still moved as if he was living, and his jaw was locked in a permanent smile.

"Ahhhh…" he lifted a bony hand to his face and slowly examined it with empty eye sockets, "see the sacrifice of a true zealot."

"Zealot, schmelot, you're still ugly!" said Pops, readying another shot. Pulling the trigger on the bazooka, another fireball shot forward straight at the skeleton.

The skeleton turned to shadow again and pieces of him shot in every direction, dodging the shot, before coming back together, aiming straight at Pops.

Pops dropped the bazooka and had his hands out in front of him while backing away.

"Oops. Um, sorry about the bazooka thing. Maybe we can talk about this over a bowl of chili, my treat?"

"IT'S YOUR TIME, OLD MAN!" shouted the skeleton, diving with all claws extended.

With a flash of steel, the skeleton stopped in mid-air and plummeted to the ground, cut completely in half at the waist.

"No, it's yours, demon," said Jack, calmly placing his sword back in his sheath.

"Phew," sighed Pops, pulling out a handkerchief, "my life flashed before my eyes. Hmm, I always did put too much dressing on those wings."

Jack gave the man a strange look. Pops smiled and scratched his head.

"Thanks anyone, son. In gratitude, I won't hit up the doc for hazard pay."

Keeping his distance from the writhing skeleton, Jack began drawing strange symbols in the dust with his sword around the demon. Upon seeing this, the skeleton's upper body began flailing wildly, trying to grab at Jack and Pops.

"Seems like you spooked him there!" shouted Pops as the skeleton took a swipe at him.

"I'm sending him back to where he belongs," said Jack.

"NEVER!" screamed the skeleton, "I'M NEVER GOING BACK THERE!"

With a flash of blinding red, the golems exploded, sending rock flying all over the chamber and the heroes running for cover.

When the dust settled, the upper half of the skeleton was gone.

Back at the club, after about an hour of uninterrupted dancing, the club officials cleared the stage in anticipation of the live performances. All the dancers moved back into the club, where the dancing abated for a few moments as the real attraction for the night was about to begin.

The music quieted down to a dull hum, and the DJ came over the mike.

"All right, we're gonna turn the lights down real low for this next one!"

All the lights went out except for a few panels on the wall, one glowing a dull purple, the other green, and the last one blue.

"The Dynamite Rave is proud to present Globe, featuring Puffy!"

Three disembodied voices spoke behind each panel, seemingly talking to each other. When each different voice spoke, its panel lit up, creating a sublime effect. After going through the opening speech, which moved along to the beat but really didn 't add to it, still laid promises of the sight ahead.

The disembodied voices disappeared, replaced by a new one. When it spoke, every panel in the club lit up bright white.

"Alter!"

Numbers appeared on the dance floor under the feet of the dancers, counting down with the voices.

"9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1…"

The strobe lights all around the club began spinning and flashing, sending the gathered dancers into frenzy.

Ami of Puffy appeared on stage, holding a microphone in her hand.

"Ami! Ami, over here!" Bubbles tried desperately to wave to the sweeter member of Puffy, but the music and the dancers blocked her attempt. Feeling stupid, Bubbles drooped her head and sighed. However, when she looked back up, Ami pointed at her and waved.

"Aiiiiieeeeeeee!" Bubbles screamed like a little fan-girl.

Ami sang the ending song to Cyborg 009, Genesis of Next,in Japanese while Yumi jammed on the guitar.

The song switched back over to the voices. They chatted for a while, accomplishing pretty much nothing.

Once again, Ami took center stage and the lights focused on her.

The bass cut out and the trance took over. Behind Ami, Yumi appeared, decked out in clothes with white paint that glowed in the black light, waving glow sticks around like nunchunks.

Rushing to the mike, Yumi joined in, the two members of Puffy singing the next verse together in an insane duet for the ages.

Every light in the place went off, focusing only on Ami as Yumi backed off for a second, letting her partner take the pivotal lyrics of the song

Coming back to the mike, the two members of Puffy finished the song.

The entire club went wild, cheering wildly as the members of Globe and Puffy took their bows and walked off stage. The music had slowed to a hum, allowing the dancers to relax after that wild number.

Behind the curtain, a lone teenage girl strummed a violet guitar, warming up for the next act. She wore a torn tank-top and black leather pants complete with chains coming out of the pockets. Her skin was white, but it wasn't from a lack of sunlight.

Standing next to her was a tall man cloaked from head to toe in black robe. He was not a particularly big man, but he was tall and tone, with a hint of powerful muscle under the robes. Strands of blue hair trickled out of the hood, but his face remained concealed. The only part of his body that could be seen were his legs, which were decked out in medieval leather boots, complete with chain-mail and gothic skulls at the knees. On his back, he wore a wicked scythe, long and threatening at the blade.

"Big crowd tonight." she said. "Definitely some potential with this group."

"More than you know." the man replied, pulling back the curtain a centimeter to peek out. "There's been a change of plans. We need to speed up and reap all of them. Tonight."

"All of them? Then I want to be freed tonight."

"Watch your tone." the man said, not a change of emotion in his voice.

"No! You changed the deal, I want a better cut! Free me tonight, right after we're done!"

This changed the man's attitude.

"Don't forget who broke you out of that dimension. Do your job, and I may consider it."

The man walked out of the backstage, leaving the girl fuming.

* * *

"Topside team, this is Jackie Chan. Topside team, come in!"

Jackie tried frantically to gain a signal to the surface, which was difficult considering he didn't know how far down they were or what was between them and the main tents.

Finally, a signal came over the radio.

"_scrzzzrrr…_Jackie, this… _buzz_…Dr. Acari, where are _zzzzzz_…"

"Say again, Topside?"

"_zzzz_… Jackie, this is Dr. Acari." Jackie finally found a good signal. "Where are you? We lost radio contact."

"We found the guy who attacked us yesterday. He escaped, but we did a lot of damage to him, so I don't think he'll be coming back. We also found one of the kidnapped girls."

"Really? That's great!"

"She said she was grabbed at a club. You should alert the authorities on Milneas right away."

Dr. Acari reached over and grabbed a phone which was a land-line that connected to Milneas.

"I'll do it right away. What club is it?"

"The Dynamite Rave."

Professor Utonium flinched at that name. He turned towards his compatriots inside the communications tent, eyes wild.

"What's wrong, Professor?" said Dr. Acari.

"That club. The girls are there!"

* * *

"OH MAN!" shouted the DJ over the mike. "How are we ever going to top that one?"

The DJ smiled a devilish grin. Another tune started up, this one with an even harder beat than Genesis of Next.

"I think I know how!"

A sweet female voice came over the mike, singing softly.

"_Woooaaahhhh…"_

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! The Dynamite Rave is bringing you a secret special guest for tonight!"

"_Wooaaahhhh…"_

"This night only, you are all privileged to see the rebirth of an idol!"

"_Oh yeah…"_

The crowd cheered in anticipation as the techno music got more and more feverish.

"_Hey baby…"_

"After mysteriously disappearing at her first concert, she's back to reignite the flames!"

"_You know what I'm saying…"_

"The volcanic vixen herself…"

"_Oh!"_

"…on her first stop on her world-wide comeback tour…"

"_Oh!"_

"…the one, the only…"

"_Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Ohhhhhhhh…Oh!"_

Pyrotechnics exploded onstage, covering the entire stage in smoke. As the smoke cleared, a beautiful young teenager stood on stage, dressed from head to toe in skin-tight black leather. Her white body went well with her hair, which seemed to be flaming neon blue atop her head. Tattoos of tears under her eyes gave her a very sad look when she closed them, but upon opening them, they contrasted with the sinister look she gave the crowd. She smiled like a succubus on the prowl.

"Ember!"

To be continued…


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5

Several patrol cars came racing up the Starlight Street, sirens screaming, which surprised all the young folk walking around the nearby boardwalk, as well as those waiting in line for the other clubs on the street. They stopped in front of the Dynamite Rave, creating a semi-circle with their cars around the club. Several policemen poured out of the car, walking straight up to the young men manning the doors.

One of the teenagers in a red collared shirt stood in front of the doors with his arms spread across them.

"Excuse me, gentlemen," he said, "but you can't go in there."

"Move aside," said the lead police officer, pulling out a piece of official looking paper, "we have a warrant to search this place in conjunction with the recent kidnappings. Get out of the way, now!"

The officer reached for the door handle, only to have his wrist grabbed by the nearest bouncer.

"I said…" with one enormous push, the bouncer sent the officer flying back down onto the street. The other officers went for their weapons.

"…YOU CAN'T GO IN THERE!" All the bouncers eyes turned crimson red and fangs appeared in their mouths. Their bodies sprouted scales and spikes and their hands turned into claws. Everyone on the street ran for cover as the demonic bouncers charged the officers.

In order to reach Milneas as quickly as possible, Jack, Chan, and Professor Utonium borrowed one of the UN's smaller fastboats and were currently in the process of crossing the distance between the islands. The Professor, not used to traveling at high speeds over water, had taken refuge in the small cabin while the two warriors sat out under the stars on the back, with Jack briefing Jackie on what to expect.

"So, they use hypnotic waves hidden in the music to take over the minds of children?"

"Not just children. Anyone who listens is in danger of falling into their clutches."

Jackie looked up into the stars, examining the night sky.

"I didn't know technology like that existed."

Jack sat on his knees with his back upright, clutching his sword closely as if he were holding on to it for dear life. His eyes were slowly changing from relaxed gentleman to a fierce gaze like a wolf on the prowl.

"It's very new. The organization of enemies we are up against have been around for some time now, and they have access to untold resources. We need to be ready for anything."

"Speaking of being ready for anything, do you have any idea what that thing was back there?" Jackie remembered how Jack had tried to draw some symbols around the creature.

Jack mused for a while in meditation before speaking again.

"Have you ever heard of a soul contract?"

"Nope."

"It's where someone makes a pact with another person and binds their soul to another. When one of them dies, the soul lives on as long as the other person remains alive. The man we fought, however, has another condition in his contract. Anyone he kills gets absorbed into him. Once he dies…"

Jackie was shocked.

"He's not dead yet?"

Jack shook his head.

"That creature is on his last legs. He's still very powerful, but nothing compared to what he'll become once he dies. The only sure way to finish him off is to exorcise the body. We have to take every precaution to make sure his body does not perish."

"Because if we strike him down, he'll become more powerful than we could ever imagine?"

"That's right, how did you know?"

Jackie just sighed. Popular culture was obviously lost on Jack.

"You don't seem very, how do my students say it, 'weirded out' by all this?"

Jackie laughed.

"I've had some experience with this kind of thing. Demonic overlords, magic spells the like. Actually, this ordeal has been pretty tame so far compared to some of the stuff I've seen. Possessed statues, Oni demons…"

"…sorcerers, gangsters, bounty hunters…" Jack picked up the slack.

"When I became an archaeologist, I didn't think I'd end up playing Indiana Jones.

Arriving at Starlight Street, Jack, Jackie, and the Professor were shocked to find the street looked like something out of an action movie. The street was completely empty except for a few flipped over police cars and some small fires. Other than that, the street was eerily peaceful. For a hot summer night on the most popular street in the city, this was too suspicious.

"Its quiet." said Jackie.

"Too quiet." answered Jack. "Professor, you better stay here."

The Professor looked like he was about to protest, when Jack spoke again.

"We have no idea what we're going into. See if you can figure out where the Police went. We may need their help."

"Right." the Professor gave into reason and headed off towards the boardwalk.

Entering the club, Jackie was surprised to find, despite the commotion outside, all the kids inside the club were still dancing their hearts out. Not only that, as he and Jack walked through the throng of gyrating dancers, not one person acknowledged that they were even there. On stage a teenage girl was singing a popular dance song while the DJ spun the wheels of his turntable.

Searching the crowd, Jackie saw Jade.

"Jade!" he shouted, but with the loud music his voice was little more than a muffled squeak.

Running up to Jade, he grabbed her shoulder, but she quickly shrugged him.

"Jade, you have to come with me! There are bad people here!"

Jade continued to dance unhampered by Jackie's statement.

"Jade, did you hear me?"

"Can't talk, must dance."

"They're hypnotized."

"There!" Jack pointed at the DJ, who was running the turntables while bobbing his head to the music. "Stop the music and the kids will be freed!"

"Will do!"

Jackie bounded over the mass of teens and flipped onto the DJ's stage, landing directly on top of the turntables, smashing the record playing and immediately cutting out the music. The DJ toppled over backwards, rolling on his back in a helpless position with two of his four arms covering his face, and the other two trying to ward off his attacker.

Instantly the crowd inside the club stopped dancing and looked around with confused faces. Jack gave a small smile from seeing that the spell had been broken. Thankfully, his experience with this kind of trick before paid off.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" a young woman's voice came over the microphone.

Jack looked up at the stage where a teenage girl with white skin and blue hair wearing torn black clothing stood holding the mike with an angry scowl at having her song cut in two. Jack waved his hand out over the congregation.

"These children were being hypnotized by the music played by that DJ!"

"Who, him? He's just trying to make a living. I'm the one calling the shots here."

Jack was surprised.

"You're controlling them?

The girl merely smiled and nodded as if she was answering an innocent question, not telling a person that she was using her powers to enslave the minds of teens.

"That's right!"

"And…who are you?" asked Jack. The girl did an anime-fall.

She groaned loudly, but quickly recovered, striking a pose.

"My name's Ember! What's my motto, kiddies?"

"You will remember my name!" the entire audience shouted.

"And to make sure you don't forget it," Ember sneered, "slaves! Knock some sense into him!"

Every person in the club turned towards Jack and Jackie with menacing looks in their eyes.

"Uh…" The two warriors looked at each other dumbfounded.

"Not good."

"Jackie, quick!" Jack cupped his hands together and got down into a squat position.

Placing his foot in Jack's hands, Jack flipped Jackie off the DJ table, over the crowd, and onto the stage. Using his momentum, Jackie performed a roundhouse kick as soon as he landed, firing it directly at Ember.

The kick missed. Actually, it didn't miss, but rather it _went right through her!_ Catching nothing but a whiff of air, Jackie, unprepared for passing right through the girl, lost his balance and fell backward. Jumping to his feet, Jackie threw a flurry of blows at Ember, each one only going right through the girl.

Ember shook her head.

"I'm a ghost, you idiot!"

"Huh?" The statement caught Jackie off guard.

Ember sighed and then snapped her fingers. Immediately, a red, blue, and green blur flew through the club and smashed into Jackie, sending him flying across the stage and into some supplies just off-stage.

Nursing his head, Jackie reopened his eyes to find that his attackers were none other than the Powerpuff Girls, only with devilish looks on their faces and a surly attitude to boot.

Ember gave out a huge laugh.

"Nyah hah hah! I don't know who you two are, but you can see I have the upper hand here. Still, you're both pretty funny. Maybe I'll take control of you and have you fight each other for fun."

Every person in the club was now headed straight for the only two adults in the entire place, bent on grabbing them and subjecting them to Ember's song.

Jackie, still lying in a pile of junk, struggled to figure a way out of their current situation.

"Jack, got any ideas?"

Jack was still on top of the DJ booth, albeit moving away from the approaching crowd, using the sheath of his sword to fend off the over-anxious.

_I can't harm any of them. _He needed a way out.

"Perhaps we can settle this in a non-violent fashion?" Jack shouted to Ember.

Ember made a pouty face. "Where's the fun in that?"

"I challenge you to a song and dance contest!"

Ember gave Jack a strange look, then threw her head back as she burst out laughing.

"You, want to challenge me, to a Diva contest? HA! If I wasn't already dead, I would have died laughing just now!"

Jack waited for her answer with a held breath, his mind racing to come up with a plan if she refused.

"But," Ember remembered how much she hated her new captors, "why not? I've got some time to kill. Alright, you versus me. My terms are you can choose any song. Winner is chosen on talent as well as presentation. That means any pyros, dancers, or lighting are legal. Either agree to my terms or else."

"Agreed." Jack climbed on the stage and helped Jackie up. They both turned towards Ember, who was still waiting with the girls.

"Well then, we seem to be outmatched." Jack mustered up as fake a smile as he could manage.

Ember rolled her eyes. "What do you need?"

"Dancers."

"And costumes and scenery." Jackie added

Ember waved her hand over the audience.

"Fine, take your pick of three people. Costumes are in the back."

"Only three?" Jackie pouted.

"Don't push it." Ember snapped back.

"Can you sing?" Jackie whispered.

"No. But our only other choice is to fight the girls. We have to do this." Jack turned to Ember. "We'll take Bubbles, Buttercup, and Jade." _Sorry Blossom and Frankie._

Ember snapped her fingers. Bubbles and Buttercup, seconds ago still looking as if they were going to rip Jackie apart, shook their heads and looked around confusedly.

Bubbles spotted Jack across the stage from her.

"Jack-sama, what's happening?" she asked.

"Bubbles, Buttercup, Jade, we need your help to win a singing and dancing contest against her."

"How'd you get suckered into this?" Jade asked, climbing onto stage.

Jackie gave her a small hug in relief of having her back. "Long story. I'll explain later."

"What about Blossom?" asked Buttercup.

"Collateral." said Ember, keeping the Powerpuff Girl leader in between her and Buttercup, just in case the fiery member of the team decided to overstep her bounds.

"If we win, we get her back." Jack put his hands on Bubbles' shoulders. "Listen Bubbles, I need your help the most. You're a very creative and artistic person. When you were my student, you were always listening to music with your friends. I trust you to pick our song, as well as pick out costumes and sing. Can you do that?"

"I will!" she replied.

Jack next turned to Jade. "Jade, you're a very out-going and energetic individual, as well as a budding martial artist. I need you to work with Bubbles and come up with a dance as well as our scene."

Finally, Jack turned to Buttercup and looked directly into her eyes.

"Buttercup, I need your limitless energy. Do whatever Bubbles asks you to do. I'm trusting all three of you."

"Since I'm the champion, I suppose I'll go first." Ember gave an innocent look as if she was mortified at going first, which didn't fool anyone not hypnotized.

"Alright, clear the stage!" Ember shouted.

Moving off the stage, Jack stopped just out of sight in order to watch his opponent.

"DJ, spin my song!"

"Woah!" 

The lights dropped low as two men appeared carrying steel drums. Setting them up behind Ember, they started pounding furiously to the beat.

"Give me One Good Reason why I shouldn't trash you right now!"

Ember's recorded voice was played over the speakers using fades and different volumes, making her sound far away or breaking up.

"All I want is for someone to give me one good reason..."

The real Ember remained silent as the intro played, holding her mike at her side and keeping her eyes closed. The strobe lights on the stage spun wildly, firing their harmless lasers all around the club.

"Woah! Hoah! Here we go!"

The music cut out except for a single melody in the background, as well as the lights, which were reduced to mere sparkles behind Ember. A spotlight turned on overhead of Ember, lighting her and only her on the stage. In the dark behind her, three dancers took their places.

She sung sweetly a lonely ballad about love unreturned.

All the lights onstage came back on and Ember went into her dance routine with her three backup dancers doing the same performance behind her. The backup dancers were all three beautiful young women who looked like professionals.

Now, anger filled her voice as she sang of love used for another's purposes and then dumped like a ton of bricks.

Ember waved one finger in the air in a 'no, no' fashion.

She sang about how she would never be tricked again.

A man dressed like a certain half-ghost walked out on stage, wearing a red jacket but skin-tight blue and white spandex underneath. His hair was a bright silver, and her wore shades over his eyes. The three backup dancers surrounded him and held onto him seductively. Ember turned towards the four.

She sang about how she never saw it coming, what happened to her, how her heart was broken.

Ember walked up the man and gave him a hard push, sending him flying backward. When he tried to get up and go after her, the three dancers held up their hands in a 'stop' fashion. The man turned and stormed off stage.

She sang about how she would never let it happen again.

On the other side of the curtain, our heroes were feeling the pressure.

"She's really good." said Jackie.

"How are we going to top that?" asked Buttercup.

"Wait!" said Bubbles, for once in her life thinking hard, "I know this song! We can beat it! Hold on one second!"

Using her super-sonic speed, Bubbles blasted out the back door of the club in the direction of their hotel. Within seconds, she was back, carrying a small black case. She pulled out a small CD, then handed it to Jackie.

"Tell the DJ track 4. Everyone else, come on!"

She grabbed Buttercup and Jade and headed for the backstage with Jack following.

She sang about how she couldn't live anymore, her heart forever broken, never to mend.

The music, the drums, and the dancing became feverish as the song reached its climax.

She sang about how she took that final step, and left life behind forever.

Finishing her song, Ember basked in the ovation her public gave to her, even though they really only did it because she was controlling them.

"Thank you! Thank you! You like me! You really like me!"

She turned and walked off the stage. Coming behind the curtain, she found Jackie holding the lever that pulled the curtain up.

"Ah, my adoring public. Think your friends can beat that?"

"We'll see. You might be surprised." answered Jackie.

"Yeah right."

Bubbles stuck her head out from behind the curtain. The crowd laughed when they saw she had put makeup on and powdered her face. Bubbles merely shrugged it off and looked at the DJ.

"We're ready!" She went back behind the curtain.

The DJ stuck the disc in his player and pushed the play button.

A form of feudal drum started playing, though this one was combined with a techno beat. Three people in kimonos stood side by side, each holding two fans in each hand, one covering their face and the other out at their side.

The three figures closed their fans to reveal Bubbles, Buttercup, and Jade, each decked out in a beautiful flowery kimono, with their hair teased up with chopsticks and their faces powdered. Bubbles stepped up to the mike and began to sing as the other two danced.

The scenery lit up to reveal a small, quickly made mountain on a backdrop of a valley. Standing on top of the mountain looking all badass was Jack in some black samurai armor they had found in the costume room.

Jackie came onto stage wearing the head of a giant dragon costume. He grabbed Buttercup and pulled her along with him. She reached out towards Jack, who bounded off the mountain after them. Jade stepped up to the microphone.

Jackie quit running and placed Buttercup on the floor, turning to face off against Jack. Jack reached to his side and pulled out a wooden sword, holding it ready to fight.

Jack and the dragon fought a mock fight, with Jack holding the upper hand throughout the entire battle. Pretending to run the dragon through, Jack watched as Jackie played his part perfectly, falling to the ground slowly.

Jack picked up Buttercup in his arms, carrying her off into the (fake) sunset. The stage went dark again as Jade and Bubbles finished the song.

The music stopped and the crowd cheered their hearts out, this time for real. Jack and the girls milled about on stage waving to the audience before taking each others hands and taking a formal bow, the audience screaming for more every second. 

"DDR wins the day once again!" shouted Bubbles.

"That was DDR?" said Buttercup. "I'll never make fun of that game again."

"I don't know where you came up with an idea like that, but you are a genius," Jackie said, high-fiving Jack.

"An old saying I once heard said 'if you cannot appeal to reason, appeal to vanity.'"

The five were surprised to find clapping coming from across the stage, since there was only one other person there with them.

"Well done!" said Ember, walking slowly towards them. "I'll admit when I'm defeated. However," she stopped clapping and snapped her fingers, "that doesn't mean I have to like it."

"You lied!" Buttercup charged at Ember, her fists glowing a powerful green.

Ember snapped her fingers again and a body flew into Buttercup, pinning her down on the stage. Buttercup was shocked to see Blossom staring at her with laser eyes charging and ice breath at the ready. Ember knelt next to her and cupped Buttercup's chin, which Buttercup quickly threw off.

"I had no intention of letting these slaves go in the first place." Ember chuckled. "I was just bored. Now, little slave, its time to come back under my spell."

She picked up the mike and began singing.

Singing a sickly sweet ballad, her entrancing notes caught everyone in their grip.

"That should have done the trick." Ember said out loud over the microphone, her words falling on deft ears.

Checking her prey, she was pleased to find that Buttercup's eyes glistened over with the same strange aura that was currently controlling Blossom. Out on the stage, the other heroes were standing completely still, their eyes locked staring out into space.

Ember walked over to Jack and took a deep look at the man who out-witted her. Still in the black armor from the show, he was very dashing and pleasant to the eye.

She ran her finger down his armored chest.

"You're pretty impressive. I think I'll keep you as my personal boytoy."

"Yes mistress." was Jack's reply.

She squirmed at his answer.

"Oh stop it. I can't blush."

"Mistress, may I tell you something?" he bowed a little with his request.

"You had me at mistress."

Jack nodded. "There's a difference between music…and noise. And that definitely wasn't music."

"Huh?" said a shocked Ember.

Jack quickly drew his sword and held it at Ember's head, threatening to bring it down upon her at any time.

"Don't move. This sword is no normal sword. If I cut you through, it won't pass through without forcing you to pass on. Understand?"

Ember gulped. "How did you?"

Holding the sword at an angle gained from years of training, Jack looked like a wolf prepared to kill his prey.

"The teachings of the Buddha consist of emptying the mind and concentrating simply on the emptiness, the Ohm. I merely concentrated on that holy sound and blocked out your siren song. Now release everyone in here! I will not give you a second chance!"

"Quick decision!" said Ember, jumping backwards as three super powered teenagers grabbed Jack's legs and arms. Bubbles was holding his legs together, while Buttercup was face-to-face with him, holding his arms against his sides with a painful bear hug. Blossom hovered over him, eyes and mouth once again ready to make someone feel the pain.

"Girls, you have to listen to me! This is your teacher! Fight it! Fight her song!"

Their grips loosened at the voice of their teacher.

"_Damn_!" thought Ember. "_I'm going to have to use the big guns."_

She grabbed the microphone and pointed it at the struggling samurai.

"You're tough, but let's see if you can handle this!"

She pointed at the DJ and a slow tune started up. On the dance floor, the hypnotized teens began pairing off and slow dancing closely with one another. A slow, gothic tune played.

Jack felt his senses leaving him as the intoxicating allure of the song came over him He tried to concentrate on his teachings.

"Concentrate on the emptiness, the nothing. Ohmmmm…."

"Jack…"

The sound of that sweet voice reminded him of a voice from so long ago, a voice he missed with heart and soul. It tore at every ounce of his body to keep his eyes closed and concentrate on the Ohm.

"But…that voice…"

He broke his trance and opened his eyes to find the source of the voice being Buttercup looking deeply into his eyes.

"No, Buttercup, no!" Jack struggled to get out, but she had him in a vice-grip.

"Jack…" she moved ever closer to him, looking longingly at his eyes.

Focusing all the spiritual energy he could, Jack went for one last ditch move.

"Buttercup, stop." he said matter-of-factly, neither shouting it nor sounding angry. Buttercup stopped immediately.

"When I taught you three, you were the strongest in spirit of the group. Though that strength would sometimes get you into trouble, it was also your greatest ally. You never gave up, no matter how bad the situation got, no matter how badly you were injured or how hopeless victory seemed, you always fought on, to protect your sisters and everything you cared about. It is that strength that you will call upon now! It is that will to win that you will use to break this spell, and free yourself!"

Buttercup's grip loosened. The lustful look on her face faded away, replaced by a confused visage.

"Do it now Buttercup!" Jack shouted as hard as he could.

"Ahhhhhh!" Buttercup's head fired back, screaming at the top of her lungs. When her head relaxed, her eyes were no longer glazed over and she was back in control of her mind. She looked back at her former teacher.

"Jack!"

Jack smiled. "Good job."

"He broke my control?" Ember gasped. The music stopped almost instantly.

Jack's own strength renewed, his mind became sharp and alert, and he was once again completely in control of his body.

"Cease this game, now!" Jack shouted.

"Give it up!" Ember shouted back.

"Never! You can never break me! Stop! Stop it now!" Jack shouted forcefully at the DJ.

"WITH PLEASURE!" a familiar high-pitched voice filled the club, blocking out the Diva's song.

Black goo bubbled at Ember's feet, grabbing hold of her.

"Hey! What is this stuff?"

She tried to go intangible, but the blackness refused to let go, quickly swarming up her legs towards her head.

"No! Help me! Slaves!" She snapped her fingers several times, but nothing happen. Not a soul moved. The black goo covered her entire body by now, and was in the process of covering her head.

Despite being a ghost, she collapsed to the floor into a solid blob of the black stuff, which quickly covered her up.

"Ugh," said Blossom, rubbing her eyes as if she had been in a deep sleep, "what happened?"

"The spell broke!" said Jack. Everyone in the club was coming out of the spell, wondering what the heck they had been doing and why they were in the arms of strangers.

He looked down to find Buttercup still holding onto him tightly.

"You can let go, Buttercup."

"Oh. Yeah." That was all she said as she let go of him and stepped aside.

"Look!" shouted Bubbles.

The black goo was taking shape. It grew upon itself, stretching up about five and a half feet, before collapsing in on itself and taking the shape of a body.

The goo peeled away to reveal the body of Ember, though she had been changed. Her clothes were no longer torn cloth, but rather tight leather. Her hair, which had resembled flame, now was a burning fire atop her head, sending her namesake flying around when she turned her head. Her tattoos now covered her face with strange and arcane symbols, and her eyes now burned with blue flame just like her hair.

"Ahhh… now this body I can get used to." Her voice was no longer her own, but a dual voice of hers combined with a high-pitched demonic voice subtly underneath. "Such hatred, such angst… though she was a fool to use love as a weapon…"

Four ghostly blades came out from behind her back, floating in the air each surrounded by their own blue flame.

"… when it's just so much more easier to kill you!"

To be continued…


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6

Not a person moved in the club. Still shaking off the after-effects of Ember's spell, they were surprised to find their idol replaced by a new, more sinister looking version of herself. Also, they didn't recognize the four girls and two men on stage, not realizing that minutes beforehand, it was these six who had freed all from the spell.

"What happened to the music?" someone finally shouted.

"Yeah!" the rest of the club responded in turn.

"I got a song for you!" shouted the new Ember, "it's called…"

She took a deep breath.

"Disco Inferno!"

Blowing with enough might to make the big bad wolf jealous, Dark Ember blew an enormous fireball out at the crowd. The heat from the flame was so intense that in seconds the already hot club was sweltering. The club-goers ran for cover, but the fireball was so fast that it was about to overcome the first few rows of people.

Using her super-sonic speed, Blossom flew in front of the fireball and blasted it with her own ice breath. The ice melted in seconds, but her attack managed to cease the fireball's advance, saving the now scrambling teens on the dance floor.

Jack was shouting orders at once.

"Bubbles, head to the door and make sure no one falls! Jackie, Jade, search for any stragglers! Buttercup-"

Buttercup was already in the air headed straight for Dark Ember.

"Buttercup, no!" Jack shouted, already too late to stop her.

The green member of the Powerpuff Girls readied her fists of fury to beat Ember down. Whizzing by the fire breath which Blossom held at bay, Buttercup hands were glowing green with power ready to smash the diabolical diva into next week.

"Let's see how you like this beat!"

Dark Ember stopped blowing fireballs at Blossom and redirected her attention to the incoming Powerpuff. Rather than be worried at this approaching threat, Ember merely smiled.

Buttercup's anger at being used doubled when she saw Ember's smug attitude.

"I'll wipe that grin off your face!"

Ember merely stuck her arms out to her sides with her palms parallel to the stage.

"Flame Wheel!"

The four ghostly swords spun around Ember in a clockwise motion, creating a whirlwind of fire that blocked Buttercup's path.

Moving too fast to stop, Buttercup used her powers to block the flame from scorching her. However, it wasn't enough to prevent her from getting blown back as a section of the fire struck at her like a whip, sending her flying across the dance floor and into the DJ booth on the other side.

The pillar of fire rose to the ceiling. Immediately, the roof burst into flames, the molding and insulation becoming fuel in the intense heat. After pushing against the roof for several sections, it burnt through, sending a jet of fire out of the roof and into the night sky. To all who managed to see the insane sight outside, it looked the rockets of a launching space shuttle.

"Buttercup, are you okay?" shouted Blossom, who flew over to the DJ booth top speed, only to find Buttercup sitting in the wreckage of the booth, seething with anger.

"Errr… I'll massacre her!"

Buttercup jumped off the booth prepared to charge Ember again, only to be caught one armed by Jack. However, instead of giving in to Jack, Buttercup began trying to push him away and go for Ember. Jack had to try with all his might to hold onto Buttercup.

"Listen to me, LISTEN to me!" Jack shouted, finally bringing Buttercup back to the ground. In a flash, she was in his face, yelling as loud as she could.

"I'm not a child anymore! I can take this thing on!"

"You can't beat this opponent with brawn alone. It won't surrender, and even if we kill it, it will only get stronger!"

This stopped Buttercup, who couldn't possibly comprehend what Jack just said.

"What are you talking about? Something that only gets stronger when it dies?"

Whatever good mood Jack had from the skit was now gone, replaced by his inherent serious nature.

"Yes. Jackie and I have already seen what he is capable of. We can't use your powers against him. If you three were to fight him, you would thrash him easily, but it wouldn't defeat him. I have to fight him, _alone._"

"But what if something happens to you, Jack-sama?" asked Blossom with a worried heart.

Jack shook his head.

"I can't lose this battle."

Buttercup gave him a sour look.

"You have to trust me on this, Buttercup. Just like I trusted you."

Buttercup turned towards the front of the club and headed for the door.

"Fine."

Blossom, Jackie, and Jade followed her out to the front, moving quickly before the flames blocked their only means of escaping. Before leaving, Blossom turned back to Jack once more.

"Jack! Good luck!"

Jack gave a smile to his former pupil before turning back towards Dark Ember, steeling himself for battle.

Up in the skies above Milneas, an intangible specter floated through the air, searching the city for a prey he had tracked over thousands of miles. Floating over the rooftops, the intrepid half-ghost, half-hunter ghost hunter, Danny Phantom, tried to get a signal from the Fenton Global Ghost Tracker, which despite his father insisting that it was a completely original invention, looked suspiciously like a Dragonball locator. At this moment, however, Danny didn't really care what if the tracker was a blatant plagiarism.

One week ago, someone broke into his parent's house in Amity Park. Danny had been away at college when he got the frantic call from his sister Jazz. Returning home, he found that his parents had put up a stubborn fight and kept most of the ghosts from getting out. Despite their best efforts, some of the more cunning ones had escaped, including a former teen idol who had the uncanny ability to mess with people's emotions, mainly a little something called love.

However, while the other ghosts had quickly made themselves known, Ember had mysteriously remained quiet, suspicious because she was one ghost who needed the energy of large numbers of teens in order to function. Still, Danny's Dad always came through with his inventions, and the Global Ghost Tracker had locked onto her signal in the middle of the pacific.

The earpiece to Danny's communicator crackled as a transmission came over the com.

"Ghost central to Phantom Hunter, come in Phantom Hunter."

In the years since high school, in order to both protect himself and his family, Danny joined the Stantz Paranormal Society as a freelance ghost hunter. Ever since Vlad Plasmus put a bounty on Danny's head, ghost hunters from all over the world made Danny's life miserable. In exchange for joining the society, they released a statement saying that Danny was not to be harmed. Joining also had its benefits for Danny, as he could take advantage of all of their equipment, some of which even Jack Fenton's inventions.

"What's up, central?" Danny spoke into his microphone.

"The tracker signal is telling us that the target is somewhere on that island." a very nasal female voice came over the com.

"Can you give me a location?"

"All we know is that she's on the island. We have to wait for the next satellite pass to get a clearer picture. The next one will pass in a half-hour.

Danny's conversation was interrupted by the sounds of sirens below him. Looking down onto the streets below, he watched as three fire engines and a complement of ambulances sped down the largest street at top speed.

_That might be a good place to start,_ thought Danny.

"Central, something's happening. I just saw a bunch of emergency vehicles all headed to the same place. I'll check it out."

"Roger, Phantom Hunter. Report back if you find anything."

Half the club crackled with flame as the fires moved out from the stage into the main part of the club, dashing up the speakers and sending sparks flying to the dance floor alone. Standing unfazed by all this was Dark Ember, holding her position at the center of the stage. Meeting her with matching fortitude was Jack, standing out at the center of the dance floor, his hand upon the hilt of his sword.

The new Ember spoke with absolutely no giddiness or innocence that the old Ember once had.

"Finally, we are alone. You know, at first, samurai, I did not realize it was you. Several hundred years has a way of ruining a man's memory, but it also allows old wounds to fester. Do you remember me, samurai? It's Itami, the mighty pirate, if you've forgotten. I remember you. How can I forget, considering what you did to me?"

Jack stood defiant, not batting an eye.

"I merely gave you what you deserved."

The flames seemed to grow more intense in mere seconds.

"You sent me to the prison for demons! A man has no place amongst those beasts!"

Jack pointed his scabbard at the enraged being.

"And being born a man frees you from your sins? You slaughtered countless innocents, burnt villages, and committed unspeakable acts of cruelty! Then, when you had the chance to salvage your soul and come to justice, you cowardly bound your soul to Aku so you could continue your way of life! If you walk hand-in-hand with evil, do not be surprised when you are judged accordingly!"

Surprisingly, instead of becoming angrier, she seemed to calm down, and folded her arms across her chest.

"Oh, indeed, I was judged, samurai. My punishment was to walk across an unending burning desert, without food or water to nourish me. Days became weeks, weeks, months, until time became null to me. Though I was thirsty and hunger gnawed at my belly far beyond what any human can stand, I did not die. For centuries, I walked across that desert. My body withered and decayed around me. You can't imagine the pain I felt as my body melted away in the blistering sun, until I was nothing more than bones. However…"

The four flaming swords took up positions between Jack and Itami. Jack readied his sword for battle.

"…I'll try to make you understand!"

All four swords attacked Jack at once. Drawing his sword, Jack deflected their initial blows but was forced to slowly move backwards as he parried each sword blow.

One sword came high as another came low. They seemed to work in pairs, throwing their blows at different times and angles. Jack parried several jabs, only to have the third sword come at him with a mighty slash from his side. Ducking the blow, Jack brought up his sword in time to stop the other three from striking him head on, catching them against each other and pinning them together.

Jack's success was only short lived, as Itami had jumped off the stage straight at Jack, and with another breath shot a large fireball directly at Jack. Jack quickly broke the stalemate he had with the swords in order to dodge the flame. Diving to the side, the fireball crashed into a couch at the wall, immediately bursting into flames.

Not giving Jack a second's reprieve, Itami dived at him, creating a claw in his right hand using searing flame as welding torches for his fingernails. The blow missed, but melted and bubbling stone remained where the claws had struck.

Avoiding Itami, Jack rolled back into the couch which was itself aflame, and the heat from the furniture burned his hand as he tried to right himself.

Jack was unable to muse over the pain, as one of Ember's swords came at his heart. With no more time to dodge it, Jack swung his sword into it as hard as he could, deflecting it into the nearby wall. Jack watched as the sword embedded itself into the brick wall, and then struggled in vain to free itself.

The other three swords, as if they could understand what had happened to their counterpart, flew up into the air and then came down, surrounding Jack in a triangle formation.

Focusing on all his senses, Jack awaited the swords to start their attack. With a single thought, the three swords charged him at once, one aiming for his neck, the other his chest, and the last one his knees.

Dropping quickly to the ground, Jack dodged the two higher swords and used his own sword to knock the third sword to the ground. The sword still had a chance to injure him, but Jack elbowed the ground, giving himself enough momentum to roll in the air a few inches off the ground long enough to allow the sword to pass under him.

Rolling across the dance floor trying to gain a foothold, Jack was forced to keep rolling as the swords came after him chopping at him like a chef chops vegetables.

Bounding to his feet, Jack readied himself once again. Itami, seeing that the frontal assault wasn't working, stuck both his hands out and motioned towards the blades. Using an unseen force, Itami stopped two of the blades in midair with his left hand, and the third with his right hand. He motioned his right hand towards the burning stage and the sword dove into the flames. With his left hand he made a fist except for his index and middle finger, and began spinning those two fingers like a top.

The two blades mimicked this motion and in moments they were spinning like helicopter blades. Ceasing spinning his hand, Itami pointed his left hand at Jack.

Complying with their master's wishes, the two swords dove, still spinning in lethal circles. They dove too low and Jack flipped over the swords, heading straight at Itami. The blades caught the wall, leaving long cuts down the stone as they spun against the stone, trying to set themselves right.

Panicked at Jack charging at him, Itami brought his right hand away from the stage and pointed it at Jack. The flame claw appeared on his hand, but it was too late as Jack slashed Itami half-way up his arm.

"NYAHHH!" Itami shouted in pain and clutched at his arm. His right hand had not chopped off, but rather had simply disappeared when the sword went through his arm.

Jack slashed again at the injured ghost/demon, but Dark Ember breathed a burst of flame, not enough to injure Jack, but enough to force him back a few steps and give Itami some room.

Jack's attack was also interrupted by the third blade, which shot out of the flames like a bat out of hell. The sword was no longer a large shaft, but had used the fire to forge itself into the shape of a boomerang. It shot straight at Jack's head. Jack dodged, but the sworderang quickly spun in circle, building enough centrifugal force to send it directly back at Jack. Unlike the saw-blade swords which required a large amount of room to change direction, the sworderang could turn on a dime, needing only a moment to turn itself around and throw itself back at the target.

Jack was caught off guard at the sheer speed of the sword, so much so that he lost his balance as he tried to dodge it for the second time. It was simply luck that his fall would prevent the sword from getting him, but on the ground he had almost no options to dodge as the sword changed directions mere feet from his head.

Bringing his sword up and concentrating on the vibrations of the metal with all his might, Jack struck the whirling sword at an apex. Using the sword's centrifugal force against it, Jack manipulated his sword so that the blade spun like a ring around Jack's sword.

Timing it perfectly, Jack threw off the blade so it headed straight at Dark Ember. The blade flew through his midsection, taking out a chunk of ghostliness.

"ARGGHHHHH!" The fusion screamed. Losing control over her blade, it flew across the club and into one of the speakers. Electricity blasted out of the speaker as it exploded, melting the sword in intense heat. The other two blades stopped spinning and fell limply to the ground, clattering as they landed.

Dark Ember was now clutching its side in deep pain. Jack was even more surprised. He had thought that it was his magic sword which had caused Itami pain before. Now it seemed like any blade passing through Dark Ember would hurt her. Apparently, Itami wasn't completely perfect on his fusion techniques.

"Ergghhh…" Dark Ember grunted, focusing all its energy on its side. The ghostliness swirled and then took form back into the chunk that was missing. She then did the same to her hand, moaning in pain as she attempted to reform her hand.

Jack's focus was interrupted by a cluster of burning debris that fell to the dance floor. Looking up, Jack saw that the roof would soon be a furnace of flames. He was running out of time. Adding to his troubles was the debris, which combined with the rising flame had now taken up a considerable amount of space on the dance floor. The only way Jack could make an exorcism circle large enough to hold Itami meant Jack had to walk through flame.

Taking a cursory glance around the club, Jack noticed that the second floor was relatively untouched, and was for now far enough away from the flames that he could buy some more time. It was also small enough that the blades had very little room to maneuver in and more chances to get embedded like their two brothers.

Running up to the second floor, Jack took up a fighting position as far away from the flames as he could.

Using the flames like a forklift, Dark Ember lifted herself onto the second floor. Jack took note that Itami probably hadn't mastered flight yet either. However, he had figured out artificial reproduction, as he now had his hand and side back.

Speaking not one word, Dark Ember merely held out her arms. The two swords flew up from the first floor and into her hands. Readying herself in a two-handed style favored by pirates, with one sword out in front of her and the other over her head, Dark Ember gave a small smile.

"Round two…"

Dropping the smile for a look of sheer hatred, Ember darted forward and jabbed with her first sword while bringing the second down in an overhead smash. Jack parried the first blow while dodging the second one.

Slashing at Ember, Jack missed but had to block quickly as Ember used the momentum from the downward blow to spin in a circle, her arms out at her side. Jack blocked the first slash then stepped backward to dodge the second before jabbing at Dark Ember a few times.

With amazing speed, Ember dodged the first three blows and knocked away the fourth, before coming back at Jack with several jabs of her with her two swords.

Jack did a small leap backward, then used the extra space to perform a powerful strike. Dark Ember, crossing her swords, caught the blade. Jack and Itami's blades were now caught together.

Looking into Dark Ember's soulless eyes, Jack gave his sword a push, which broke the crossed swords. Ember tried to slash Jack's exposed waist with both her swords, but Jack once again used her superior speed to drop to the ground as the two blades passed over him. He then tried to counter by jabbing at Dark Ember's waist, but Dark Ember did a split and came down to Jack's level.

Jabbing desperately at Jack, Dark Ember tried to get in another blow but Jack rolled away then spun his legs to right himself. Jack stood up and took a step backward, but was stopped as he ran into the guard rail. Below him the fires had spread heavily, and a fall from here would put him in the middle of the inferno.

Seeing her advantage, Dark Ember charged at Jack prepared to press her luck.

Thinking quickly, Jack jumped into the air and grabbed onto an overhead beam for the third floor. He pulled himself onto the rafters a few feet below the roof. Dark Ember, unable to match Jack's amazing leap, ran for the stairway up to the third floor.

Looking up at the roof, Jack realized that the roof above him was covered with flames, and standing up would only burn him. Unable to stand, he was forced to fight in a squatting position.

Jack quickly broke his observation of the roof as Ember charged him blades ready. Rolling backwards, he kicked Ember in the stomach flipping her past him.

Landing head-over-heels, Dark Ember shot her arm out at the flames above Jack. Adrenaline ripping through him, Jack rolled forward towards Ember, dodging a wall of flame that poured down on the rafter, cutting the walkway away from its supports. The walkway beneath Jack gave a little, with painful creaking noises coming from the bending metal. Though it wasn't enough to put the warrior at risk of falling, it did force him to use some caution.

Seeing this, Dark Ember pointed her hand at the fire in front of Jack. Jack, realizing what she was doing, charged Ember. However, the flames got there first and cut the walkway in two. Ember watched as the walkway fell into the sea of flames below. However, she what she didn't see was Jack go with it.

Frantically searching both sides of the walkway, Ember found Jack hanging on to the railing below the walkway.

"Why won't you just die?" she screamed, sending another blast of fire down at Jack.

Grabbing hold of the railing on the other side of the walkway with his legs, Jack let go and flipped under the walkway, missing the flames by inches.

Still filled with anger, Dark Ember didn't notice that her flames had completely cut the left side of the walkway off its supports. That was, until the left side of the walkway gave way.

Falling over the side of the walkway, Dark Ember grabbed onto the edge, pulling herself up while Jack righted himself. They were now both hanging onto the railing almost side-by-side.

Using her other hand, Dark Ember summoned one of the demonic swords. Slashing at Jack in such close quarters, Jack attempted to dodge, but the blade slashed his side.

"Ungh!" pushing through the pain as he always did, Jack dodged the second jab and kicked Dark Ember in the head, sending her falling to the ground below with a _thunk!_

Shimmying to a safe spot, Jack dropped down to the second floor. From there, he moved towards the first floor and the front doors.

"Samurai, wait!"

Jack looked over to Dark Ember, who was lying the middle of the dance floor. The roof above was falling apart and threatened to give way at any moment. It did not seem to bother her though.

"One thing I had in that horrible dimension was a lot of time to think, samurai. It took me a very long time, but I came up with the name I will take after I die. I thought long and hard about this name. It is a name that someday people will fear just at its mention. Do you want to know what it is? I chose the name…"

Always a sucker for drama, Itami paused for dramatic effect.

"…_Demongo_. Do you like it?"

Jack flinched at the name for reasons Itami couldn't grasp, before regaining his composure.

"Frankly…it stinks."

"Hmph!" was all Itami could say in response. "Now, samurai, is the time of your death. Long have I waited for this moment when I would have my revenge against you!"

Jack stopped at the door, facing out towards the night sky.

"No. I can't fail."

"Well, that's presumptuous." said Itami, cackling.

"No, you misunderstand me. I've come too far, endured too much hardship, fought too many battles, just to die here. My battle has gone on far too long. There are too many relying on me; people have staked their hopes and dreams all on the completion of my journey. Friends are awaiting my return home. Too many have died in hopes that someday I will defeat your master. If I lose to you, no matter what form you take… their hopes… and mine as well…are lost. Therefore, even if I die…"

Jack turned back to Itami and held his sword out parallel to the floor.

"I SWEAR BY THE GODS I WILL NOT LOSE TO YOU!"

"Then hear me, samurai!" shouted Dark Ember, "when I die, you will be the first one I absorb! I swear it!"

He broke out into maniacal laughter as Jack left the club.

Outside, all the teens had moved back to a safe distance as the fire department arrived. As Jack exited the burning building, a few emergency workers rushed to him. Jack noticed that the police had returned, with Professor Utonium next to their senior most member.

"Are you burned?" asked one of the paramedics, "is there anyone else in there? What happened to your side?"

"Get back!" shouted one of the firefighters spraying water into the building.

Everyone moved away as, with a tremendous sound, the roof of the club collapsed, taking the walls with it. The fires were blown out by the tremendous force of the impact. The club now sat smoldering.

Though no one could see her, an intangible Ember flew out of the wreckage towards the sky.

"Ohhh, what a rush. My head…" she muttered.

"Ember!"

Looking up above her, Ember was not happy to see her old nemesis Danny Phantom hovering intaglibly.

"Not right now, blue boy! I've got a headache!" she shouted.

"And you don't think I've got a migraine, hunting down hundreds of ghosts all over the country, and even the world? Just give yourself up, and some of us can go on with our lives!"

Suddenly, an enormous dark shadow blasted out of the club, sending debris firing in all directions. The crowd which had gathered could only look on in shock as two red eyes and mouth appeared in the enormous shadow.

Looking down, Danny saw the shadow emerging, a man draw a sword down below, the police officers pull their weapons, and three girls running forward prepared to challenge the shadow.

"See him?" shouted Ember," get him! He's ten times worse than me!"

Upon saying that, Ember took off for the horizon.

Caught in his decision, Danny looked back and forth between the shadow and the quickly disappearing visage of Ember.

"Dang it!" said Danny, pulling out his Fenton Thermos and heading for the shadow.

Aiming it at the shadow, which was distracted by the people on the ground, Danny pulled open the top and fired the beam at the shadow.

The beam struck the shadow dead on. Like a vacuum cleaner, it started to suck up the darkness emanating from the club.

Screaming at the top of his high-pitched voice, the shadow struggled to save himself from the Thermos, but even demons were no match for the genius of Jack Fenton.

Down on the ground, everyone was shocked how the foreboding shadow was defeated in one shot. Looking up into the sky, they saw a single silver-haired boy floating in the air holding what appeared to be a thermos. He turned and waved to the people on the ground with a smile on his face.

Jack looked on with wonder as the boy disappeared into thin air.

To be continued…


	8. Chapter 8

Act I End

"Please samurai. You are the most powerful warrior to walk this world since our matriarch fell. We are strong in the Way, but we can only dream of gaining skills such as yours. Our people are strong and ready to fight. Join us, lead us, and we will follow you."

Jack looked out onto the practice fields below him, where hundreds of people were training for war. Some of them were only boys, barely strong enough to lift a sword. Still, they trained diligently, honing their minds and bodies for the final fight for salvation.

"And there are more of you?" Jack asked the chieftain.

"Hundreds of clans, each thousands strong. They need only a leader to unite them."

Jack stared intently at the budding warriors on the fields. "I fear they may not be enough. We will need more warriors to join us."

* * *

"Jack!" Jack opened his eyes lazily, the midday heat nudging them back into sleep. He turned over and sat up on his bed, every joint in his body screaming from the punishment he took yesterday.

At the door stood Mr. Chan, wearing a white t-shirt and gaudy swim trunks, with a towel draped over his shoulder.

"We're all going down to the beach, and the girls would like to know if you'd join them?"

Jack rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, his muscles still aching from the night before.

"I'll be down in a minute." Jack said, stretching his shoulders out.

Chan smirked. "Rough night?" Jackie pointed at the ice pack saran-wrapped around Jack's waist.

Jack shot Jackie a look which told the archaeologist it was time to move on.

Shutting the door, Jack removed the ice pack and looked at his side, which was still cut but thankfully not bleeding or swelling anymore. Jack sighed. Despite his constant training, the years living as a school teacher had left him unprepared for a real fight.

"One down, three to go. The others won't be caught off-guard. We won't be so lucky next time."

Jack walked out onto his balcony. It was a gorgeous day, with the sun shining brightly over the crystal clear ocean. A cool sea breeze offset the blazing sun. Looking out onto the beach, Jack saw Blossom and Frankie carrying a cooler and some lounge chairs onto the sand. Bubbles had buried her father up to his neck in sand, and the two were laughing it up. Buttercup and Jade were out in the water on their surf boards, wading out with the other surfers waiting for the next big wave.

Jack pondered his situation, considering whether to rest his body or prepare for the inevitable coming battle.

Out on the water, Buttercup sat on her surf board, examining the chop for the next big wave. A white crest in the distance looked promising, so she began paddling madly to get into the best position. Catching the right moment, Buttercup felt the momentum of the water under the board and stood up to experience the full force of the ride.

As the wave curled around her, she grabbed the edge of the board and kneeled low to balance herself as she shot the curl. Diving low, she got as close as she dared to the pounding wave, cutting back into the curl and up the crest.

However, as she prepared to ollie over the wave, another surfer ducked into her path. With her momentum, she had to dive back into the wave to avoid the surfer. Instead, she decided to challenge the intruding surfer.

Cutting out of the curl, she went above the surfer, ollying over the crest of the wave and in front of the surfer. Unable to dodge, the surfer lost control and fell off his board, as Buttercup rode her victory wave into the shore.

Reaching the shore and gently jumping off her board, Buttercup picked it up and walked smugly onto the sand.

"Hey!" a male voice came from behind her. She turned to find the surfer from before running up to her, still spitting out water from his crash.

He was a teenage boy with brownish-red dreadlocks and green goggles, wearing board shorts. His skin was deeply tanned, hinting at his outdoors lifestyle.

"What's the deal, shoob? That was my wave!" he accused Buttercup.

Buttercup stuck her finger in the boy's face. "I didn't see your name on it! And who you calling a shoob?"

"You, shoob!"

By this point, other surfers had seen the commotion and a small crowd was forming around the two. One of the surfers, a Hispanic boy wearing a backwards brown cap, backed up the boy.

"C'mon, Otto-man, you gonna take this shoob stealing your wave?" he egged his friend on.

At this point, Jade came in on her surfboard. Seeing the scuffle forming, she backed up her girl.

"Where do you come up the idea that she stole your wave?" she said to the two boys. "In fact, you stole her wave!"

Two other members of the boy's crew came up behind him. However, they weren't as confrontational as the boys. One was a girl with dark hair and tan skin, wearing a green rash guard and jams to match. Next to her was a boy with a shirt tan, with golden hair and glasses. She sighed.

"What did you get yourself into this time, rocket boy?"

"Hey, stay out of this, Reg, that was my wave!"

"It was my wave, you took it!" Buttercup yelled, and the shouting match began once more.

Back on the beach, Jack had finally come down from his room in swim trunks with a towel. Taking a seat between Jackie and Professor Utonium, Jack noticed Buttercup and the boy arguing in the water.

"Buttercup seems to have a very… competitive… spirit."

"She's definitely a livewire." added Jackie.

"Oh no, is she fighting _again_?" Professor Utonium wiggled his head around in the sand to try and get a look at what his daughter was doing.

Jack examined the situation.

"No, she's not fighting. Just arguing with some boys."

"I swear," said the Professor, "someday, she's going to get herself into big trouble."

"But you created them to fight evil. Fighting is part of their nature." Jackie wondered aloud.

"Yes, but Buttercup takes it too far. Everything she does seems be directed towards pushing herself over the edge, whether it's the extreme sports or training for attacks. I'm just worried someday she won't able to adjust to life outside of being a superhero."

"You're worried she might pick a fight she can't win." Jack said in a way that struck the Professor and Jackie as odd.

"Y-yes, that's exactly what I mean," said the Professor. He sighed. "Suger, spice, and everything nice. You can tell which one she got. But too much spice wrecks the flavor."

He remained silent for a moment, then chuckled. "Ha, listen to me. Going on like some goofy old man! I'm just feeling my age and looking too far into this. I'm here to relax."

Jackie and Jack joined in on the laughter. It lifted the mood, which was still pretty low after last night.

Jack took another look out at Buttercup, who had gotten into a splashing war with the other surfers.

_Maybe there's more to her than any of us know_, were his last thoughts before his mind drifted off to other matters.

In the water, Buttercup and her accuser were busy getting ready for a contest to prove who was the best.

At another hotel down the strip, Daniel Fenton was fast asleep in a small and inexpensive hotel room he had gotten on short notice. Though he had been a half-ghost for almost six years now and was a lot more experienced since high school, the strain of transforming into a ghost still emptied his strength, especially considering how long he had remained in ghost form the past week.

One week ago, he had gotten a call at college from his parents, saying that someone had broken into their house and opened the ghost portal. Thankfully, his parents along with some help from Jazz, visiting home after a business trip, were able to keep most of the ghosts from escaping, a few got out, including a few of Danny's nemesis's like Ember and, as usual, the Box ghost. Returning home, Danny tracked down all the remaining ghosts except one. Ember was nowhere to be found, and she didn't reveal herself, which was strange since her powers depended on teen worship. Using the Fenton Global Ghost Tracker, he followed her to Milneas, eventually ending up at the Dynamite Rave just in time.

After hunting Ember all night, Danny finally gave up and found a cheap place to stay, considering he had no energy to fly back across the ocean, plus the fact that he didn't exactly have much money because, after all, he was a college student.

After traveling thousands of miles from school to Milneas tracking Ember, Danny deserved some rest.

A knock came at the door, bringing Danny groggily out of his sleep.

"House keeping," a mousy little voice came from the other side.

"Ungh. Read the sign," was all Danny could muster. He had placed a Do Not Disturb sign on his door.

Another knock came.

"House keeping. You want fresh towel?"

Danny turned over on his pillow to look at the door.

"No."

There was another knock, which was really starting to bother Danny.

"House keeping. You want French kiss?"

"What the heck?" Danny said, rolling out of bed and opening the door.

Behind the door was two people Danny did not expect, but weren't exactly unwelcome; a certain raven-haired goth girl and a nerdy techno-geek who were once Danny's best friends in the entire world.

"Sam! Tucker! What are you guys doing here?"

"We couldn't let you hog all the fun, on a tropical island to boot!" said Tucker.

"Since you were going to be here anyway, I just convinced my dad to fly us out on the company jet with some of his friends. So, voila!"

Sam and Tucker pushed their way into the room, checking out Danny's digs. Behind Sam came a cart filled with baggage.

"How many bags did you bring?" Danny said, mouth wide open.

"Oh, that's just the clothes. The rest of the stuff's coming up." said Tucker.

"There's more! I don't even think we have enough room in here!"

"Relax," said Sam, "this place isn't bad, but we'll spring for a better hotel later. Right now, let's change and check this place out!"

Exiting the hotel, Sam and Tucker gabbed about everything that had happened at school since last summer, what events happened at their schools, and who came to their Spring Concerts. Since going to college, the three friends had split up but always remained in touch. Sam was attending the Vincent Price School for Performing Arts, Tucker the Egon Spengler Institute of Technology, and Danny had managed to get into the Helsing Liberal Arts University. Though it was hard keeping together their friendship from long distance, whenever they came home for break it was as if they had never left.

As they walked out of the hotel and into the sun, Danny couldn't help but smile at having the old gang back together.

And so, all the good guys relaxed together with friends and family, enjoying each other's company, and the bounty of fun that comes from summer on the beach.

End of Act I.


	9. Act II

The lush jungle of Milneas stretches far beyond the beaches, extending a welcome invitation to any brave explorer or fool-hardy tourist willing to brave the seemingly unending brush. The jungle extends far into the island, past the volcano in the center, all the way to the other side where the trees relax only feet from the water. The wilderness of Milneas is unhampered natural beauty, untouched by human hands. Still, few dare enter for any reason, and none think of extending civilization into the jungle, considering the many dangers and terrors lying in wait.

Yet, deep in the jungle near the volcano, a rampart rises above the trees. Having stood the test of time for hundreds of thousands of years, these stone walls are a masterpiece of architecture, owing to the fact that they were built by an ancient but advanced civilization. The once beautiful statues that dotted the surrounding landscape have vanished, and the walls are covered with plant-life, but the stone walls stubbornly continue their silent vigil, endlessly guarding the majestic city built behind. Now, the buildings are ancient and collapsing. No mortal had ever set foot on the walls since their abandonment, until one month ago.

The old man stumbled up the stairway towards the wall overlooking the compound, and though gasping with every step, he still managed to curse under his breath at the fact that though he was near-immortal, it did not stop his body from becoming old and feeble. Stopping halfway up the old stone stairs, he reached into his black cloak with a gnarled hand and pulled out a small vile of purple liquid. Pulling the cork from the top, he greedily guzzled the vile's contents, ensuring that he received every drop. Thankfully, his potions ensured that he would not reach the level of decay that Itami did, but sometimes he wondered if he became as bad as Itami, maybe he wouldn't have the hump in his back or the pains in his legs. However, his soul was still a part of him, and nobody was bringing him back if he passed on.

His energy somewhat renewed, the man climbed the rest of the stairway to a higher level, exiting the staircase onto the large veranda that held a prominent place on the rampart overlooking the city.

Standing on the edge watching the sun set in the distance amongst the gathering clouds was another figure wearing black cloak, though his had red trim around the edges. Unlike the gangly old man, this prophet stood seven feet tall with massive shoulders that stretched longer than the man's arm. The cloak he wore hinted that his body was made of slabs of muscle much larger than possible for a human. For indeed he was not human. Out of two slits cut in the hood of his cloak, two purple ears like those of a cat popped out, flicking in the gathering wind.

"Pray tell, Lord Kaos," said the old man in his twisted and knotted voice, "is it true? Has our brother-in-arms fallen?"

The creature known as Kaos did not turn, but rather continued his vigil of the far-off sea.

In the distance, dark storm clouds were gathering out at sea, threatening to strike the island during the night. The light from the sun which dipped low beneath the clouds was still not spared from the blackness of the coming storm. A single bolt of lightning shot out of the storm, followed by a clap of thunder several seconds later.

"Itami has been defeated and imprisoned, as well as our primary supply of resources has been cut off. We will have to begin phase two of our plan early. Now, these…"

Two holographic projectors on each side of the men flipped on, showing the Powerpuff Girls, Jackie Chan, Jade, Frankie, Professor Utonium, the Bravos, and the Commandos.

"…are the ones my familiars identified as having a hand in Itami's defeat. If you should run across them, feel free to collect them or…remove them as a threat."

"If all's good and well, none of them will stand a chance against my black magic. However…" he raised one bony finger in the direction of his fellow prophet, "_my_ familiars informed me there was also a samurai assisting these insects. Perhaps you could tell me…was it _the_ samurai?"

The one known as Kaos hesitated for a moment. "You can do whatever you want to the others, but leave the samurai alone. He can't possibly know the full extent of our plans."

"So it is him!" The air seemed to crackle with electricity around the old man. He could scarcely contain his excitement. Turning back towards the stairs without another sound, the old man seemed young again caught up in his thoughts of revenge.

Kaos still watched the storm clouds in the distance. Another voice came from overhead, this one young and soft-spoken.

"You know it will only make him want to kill the samurai more."

Kaos turned and looked up the battlements of the castle to see the last prophet of destruction sitting cross-legged, his medieval boots with the skulls at the knees showing.

"Just as I anticipated. Humans like him are so easy to manipulate. It truly won't matter if he kills the samurai or not, just so long as he eliminates the other six, for against the samurai alone I am well prepared, but allied with these six, they could cause problems."

"I could kill them all." said the man, pulling the long scythe off his back and examining the weight of the blade.

"Easily, I know that. But I also know that I need you at full-strength for the coming battle. I'm not taking any chances this time. I have spent five hundred years perfecting this plan and I will not allow anyone to ruin our victory. Besides, Ekirei was cooped up far too long in the prison dimension for a human. Let him test out his powers on a new generation. It should be most interesting."

"Then you won't mind if I go watch, sensei."

"Not at all. Watch Ekirei and see what he does. Observe our enemies weaknesses and strengths. Then report back to me."

The younger prophet walked to the edge of the rampart and jumped off towards the horizon, his cloak taking on the form of black raven wings carrying him on the winds.

Kaos did not flinch, but remained still, even as a gust of wind blew his cloak in a menacing fashion.

"…The time shall come…"

Samurai Jack…

"…When the Gate of Darkness shall be cast open…"

The Powerpuff Girls…

"…all men shall kneel before us…"

And many more…

"All shall once again hail Aku as their master! HA HA HA HA!"

End Act I


	10. Chapter 10

Act II

Tuesday

Tokyo, Japan

Twelve hours ago

On the island of Milneas, our heroes are currently fast asleep, sleeping soundly after their victory from their first major challenge. Tomorrow's activities have yet to happen; Buttercup is still hours away from challenging Otto Rocket to a surf contest, and the machinations of Aku's other servants have not yet been seen.

In Tokyo, it is late at night, too late in the evening for anyone who needs to go to work in the morning. Far away from the touristy hustle and bustle of the main streets of Tokyo, down a dark alley with barely any light, sits a lonely bar simply known as 'End of the Line.' Its name is very fitting for reasons that will shortly be explained. This bar isn't special in any way. It doesn't attract the hip young crowd, but then again, the management doesn't really care. Its sole purpose is to cater to a select group of regulars from all walks of life, who come in wanting nothing more than a drink and to be left alone. Its walls boast a few pictures of washed-up celebrities and athletes who stumbled in at the twilight of their careers and never left.

During the afternoon, the businessmen come in from the financial districts, their minds drowning in the numbers of the market and their bodies drowning in the cheap beer. In the evening, when the majority of the work force gets out, the bar is packed with workers blessed with marriages and kids, yet not with the insight to go home and spend some time with their families. They sit in self-pity, not realizing that across from them sit other workers who were just like them, now tired, miserable, and alone.

After ten on a working night, the bar clears out except for the few the barkeep calls 'the living dead.' These are the truly lost souls, either too old or too tired or too broken up to rejoin the work force, to which life really holds no joy. Every decade or so, the lost souls would lose a few members, only to be replaced by a few evening guests who gave up and decided to stay.

But, there was one lost soul who never seemed to pass away. In fact, he never seemed to grow a minute, even as year after year passed him by. Ever since the barkeep had taken over, every single night, like clockwork, a lone Japanese man in his mid-twenties with dark hair that stuck out in the front, wearing sunglasses, jeans, a torn and tattered black shirt with a strange symbol on it, and a World War II era leather bomber jacket, strolled in and took a seat in the darkest corner of the bar, drowning himself in cheap wine and saki for hours until the bar closed. Since it was an unwritten rule of the bar never to speak to another patron, no one knew who he was or where he had come from, or why he never broke his perfect attendance. They only knew to stay away. It wasn't his attitude that scared the other patrons; it was his physical appearance. His face had several scars on it, many of which appeared to have been done by a sword. To compile their fears, he was missing his right arm. By all accounts, he appeared to either be a Yakuza, or to have run afoul of one of their members. But, he never bothered anyone, much less talked to anyone, and after years as a regular had become a staple.

Barkeep Taka stood at his regular position behind the bar at "The End" for short, cleaning the glass cups as he did every night, despite the fact that only a fraction of them were ever used. Still, it was a force of habit and it passed the time as the lost souls coddled their wine and whiskey, the new hit amongst the regulars, which showed how little the bar changes over the years.

Taka himself had once been a regular, a businessman who worked long hours to pay for life's necessities and feed his family. Unlike most of the people here, he had a long and very fulfilling life, which though it made him an anomaly amongst his bar's crowd, made him the best choice for its owner and bartender. Once his daughters had grown up and started families of their own and his wife passed away, it seemed only natural to continue the legacy of the End after the previous owner had passed away and a yuppie buyer tried to transform it into a place more hip with the underground scene of today's youth. Needless to say, the venture had failed quickly and Taka was the proud owner of his favorite bar.

To pass the time, he had given names to each of the members of the Lost Souls and stories to match their physical descriptions. Why, there was the Old Man who sat alone at the end of the stools, dreaming of all the pretty young girls he had chased in his youthful days. At a table in the middle sat the Fallen Champion, a beast of man whose muscles shook from years of boxing, who fought his way to the top, only to be forgotten as a newer generation overpowered the old guard.

Then there was the Assassin. Though Taka had no idea if the man truly was a hired gun, he had made up a long and complicated story about the one-armed man, how he had fought his way to the top of the Tokyo underground, then took his skills around the world. It was a story worthy of James Bond or Indiana Jones, Taka thought. One thing was certain: the man was never short of money. He always paid up front and in cash.

Looking at the clock, Taka saw it was close to three a.m. He merely had to point to the clock and tap on the wall next to it to start the slow Exodus to the door.

The Assassin got up from his spot as he always did, placed his empty glass on the countertop in front of Taka along with his bill for the night, then left without a word into the streets.

Taka swept the money off the table and into his collection plate for sorting later. He looked up again to catch two others leaving the bar. However, these two had worried Taka when they had come in. They were not regulars, because they were not the type. Taka knew the type. These two were both muscle-bound meatheads wearing sunglasses with punk hairdos and strange 80s style clothes to match. They had come in and sat down, all the time watching the lone man who sat in the darkest corner. As soon as the Assassin had left, they had gotten up immediately and left in a hurry.

Taka was glad to see them go, but felt a slight tinge of worry for the lone one-armed man. Still, it was not his place to judge, and he walked to the door with the key to lock the bar for the night.

Out in the night air of Tokyo, the one-armed man walked oblivious to the large men following behind him. Instead, he walked the path through Tokyo that he always followed. He crossed the city quickly. In a short time, he was on the outskirts of the Imperial Palace, making his way to the shrines nearby, heading up towards the Yushukan Military Museum. The dark-haired man went up to the front doors and unlocked them with his key, leaving them wide-open as he went inside. The two muscle-men followed at a quicker pace now, almost running into the museum after him.

Down the stairs in front of the shrine, a long black limousine pulled up. The rear right door opened up and a single man exited. He was Jamaican with long red dreadlocks and a goatee, wearing gaudy hip-hop clothes. Stepping out of the limo, he took a glimpse of the shrine, then placed a miniature headphone in his right ear and began slowly dancing his way up the stairs.

Reaching the front door, he was delighted to find it open and unlocked, and he moon walked inside. The exhibits inside were creepy at night, and the museum cast a pall over anyone who stepped inside. But the man was too busy stepping to his music to bother. As he turned a corner, there was an exit to a porch outside. He found one of the two muscle men thrown through the paper wall. The other was lying unconscious on the porch outside.

The Jamaican stepped outside to find the one-armed Japanese man standing at the guardrail, smoking as if nothing had happened. Without turning towards the Jamaican, the man spoke.

"If your boss wanted my services, he could have just asked me."

The Jamaican merely grinned and kept bobbing to a silent tune.

"Da bossman works in mysterious ways."

The Japanese man chuckled.

"Some would call you a blasphemer for that statement."

"To some, da bossman is god." said the Jamaican in an airy voice, looking up to the stars and full moon above.

"There is no god," the man muttered to himself before turning back to his associate, "so who's the hit this time?

"A samurai."

The Japanese man gave a little groan.

"There are no more samurai. Who is it really? Some politician trying to resurrect the old ways to gain votes?"

"I tink you'll find," the red-haired man handed his counterpart a photograph, "that this one is quite real."

Taking a quick glance at the photo, the man started to throw away the photo when with a quick reflex he grabbed at the picture in mid-air and took another look, this one long and deep.

The man's expression changed from one of shock, to anger, to utter delight. He started to chuckle.

"No way. It can't be. When was this taken?"

"This evening, my man. Faxed over to headquarters from the bossman himself. He knew you'd find it interesting.'

The Jamaican grinned from ear to ear but the Japanese man had different things on his mind.

"Payment?"

Despite the severe nature of the photograph he was holding, old habits died hard.

"No payment."

"No payment?"

"My man," the Jamaican held out his arms like he was about to give the man a bear hug, "haven't you figured it out? It's time for the main event! You succeed… and the bossman make all your dreams come true."

"All my dreams," said the man as he waved the photograph, "start with the elimination of this samurai."

"Den what are you waiting for, my man?"

Quickly reentering the museum, the Japanese man walked deep into the museum, towards the old part of the temple now partitioned off and used simply for storage. Opening the rusty doorway into the small enclosure, the dust behind the door flew away with the door's passing, the stale air striking the two men but not stopping their advance.

The one-armed man moved at almost a running pace to large cupboard hidden behind several jars and moldy samurai armor. Pushing the cupboard aside revealed another doorway behind it, this one even older and badly kept. Not waiting a second to turn the lock, he smashed it with his palm, throwing the door open.

Inside, the small room was barely lit only by the moonlight from outside, but it was still enough to see the contents of the room. Laid against the two walls were six ornate boxes, each one a different make and build, each one stamped with the seal of a different blacksmith and a different master. Two were made from stone, four from wood, but not one was alike in any way. Wasting no time, the man opened each box, pulling out six different weapons; three swords, two spears, and a knife. Wrapping them in black tarp, he tied them together with a piece of rope and slung them over his shoulder. This task completed, he turned to the back wall and stood still and silent in front of the small sword rack placed with the foremost care. On it was a single sword, beautiful in its manufacture and exquisite in its design. Gingerly picking up the sword, he pulled it slowly from its scabbard.

The sword was blacker than night, and glowed ominously in the shallow light. Placing it at his side, the man exited out of the hidden closet.

The Jamaican simply raised an eyebrow to the assassin's strange behavior.

"Ah never seen a man need seven weapons for one kill."

Taking almost no notice to the comment, the assassin continued to prepare, checking each weapon for signs of wear.

"When hunting, one needs the appropriate weapons. This is no ordinary prey. I doubt even these seven can defeat him."

"Da bossman knew you would say that. He has a gift for you when you arrive."

"Really? And what would that be?"

The Jamaican handed the man a large piece of paper.

"Follow the directions in dere, ma man, and you will see. I dont tink you will be disappointed."

The Jamaican danced back towards the front door and out into the night.

Opening the piece of paper with his one arm, the man found airline tickets inside, leaving that morning for a place he had never heard of, called Milneas.

Once the Jamaican had left, the man turned back towards the alcove and walked back inside. Kneeling before the sword rack, he picked it up and moved it aside. Reaching into a secret handhold in the floor beneath where the rack had sat, he lifted up a panel to reveal a small hole. He reached inside and pulled out an Oni mask: it was a mask of a ferocious dog. Pausing for a moment with the mask in front of his face, he put it on and then turned and exited.

Endless Summer

Chapter 8

After a long day on the beach, Frankie had suggested the entire group visit Cinema Square, since it was Wednesday night and a theme night. Cinema Square was the island's resident amusement park, and since it serviced the entire island, it was extremely well-built and maintained, acting more like a massive social center with rides rather than an amusement park. Every Wednesday and Friday, the park hosted a theme night. Some nights the park was dressed up in a historical period, whether it was the Wild West or Victorian Europe. Other nights were musically-based themes, such as the pop music of the 80s or the rebel music of 60s America. Everyone dressed accordingly.

Tonight, the park was celebrating the 19th century, a time when old traditions were meeting new ways of thinking. People were dressed in everything from kimonos, samurai armor, and ninja garb, to pirate costumes, Victorian style suits and dresses, and even old-fashioned American Navy uniforms.

The park was massive, taking up the entire south-west corner of the island. Though not the size of an amusement park such as Disneyland, it was very large and had several themed districts. Unlike mainstream amusement parks, visitors did not need to pay to get in, only to ride and play the attractions. Since it was a part of the boardwalk, anyone could walk through the park and take in all the sights. At the end of the boardwalk was the Pier, which shot out into the crystal clear ocean, which was populated during the day by fishermen, but during the night became a popular teen hangout and a romantic meeting place. The park always boasted large numbers every night, and was a resounding success for such an island in the middle of nowhere. While the park was renowned for its rides and attractions, it also had a restaurant district, with many different authentic culture restaurants. One of the restaurants was the El Mariachi, a Mexican restaurant whose gimmick was, of course, Mariachis who sang during dinner.

Sitting at an outside table under the stars, Jack, Jackie and Jade, the Professor and the Powerpuff Girls, and Frankie, finished their dinner while listening to the songs of the mariachis.

"Yay!" clapped the small group, as the mariachis took a bow. The restaurant goers shouted, "Encore, Encore!" Turning back to their instruments, the mariachis went into a rendition of Zorba the Greek.

"Oh, I'm stuffed," said Frankie, adding in a small burp. "Excuse me!"

The Powerpuff Girls were all wearing yucatans, provided by Frankie, who was obviously a frequent visitor to the park. (A Yucatan is a type of kimono). Jade had brought her own Chinese-style dress, and all the girls had worked their hair up into weird buns and balls, which fit the dressed they were wearing.

Jackie had on a traditional Chinese leisure wear. Jack, of course, had come as a samurai, complete with two swords wrapped to his waist. But, it was the Professor who topped them all. The girls had convinced him to dress like a certain eccentric pirate captain from one of their favorite live-action Disney films, complete with long, strangely braided hair, and a beard braided at the end. Though he had initially been against it, he finally gave in to his daughters' wishes and dressed up.

Jade started to stand up. "If we're all done, can we go wander the park now?"

Blossom turned to her father. "Captain Sparrow, sir, permission to go ashore?"

Professor Utonium sighed, while everyone else had a laugh.

"You can walk around, girls, but I want you back at a reasonable hour. Do you have watches?"

"Yes Professor," said Blossom and Buttercup. Bubbles, her mouth still filled with food, spoke disgustingly through half-chewed tacos.

"Buttercup, would you like to walk around with me?" asked Jack, catching Buttercup and her father off-guard.

"Uhhh…" stalled Buttercup, until an elbow in the ribs from Jade brought her. "Sure, I'll go."

Jade watched them head off, then turned and looked at Bubbles, who was sitting next to her still choking down on some food. Taking another look, Jade grabbed Bubbles' hand and pulled her out of the table at a run.

"Hey, Um nad dun my tahos!" slurred Bubbles through her unfinished Mexican food.

"I'll buy you some dipping dots, just come on!" shouted Jade.

The two ran off in the direction Jack and Buttercup had headed. The Professor watched them go with unusually focused attention.

"I'm not too sure I approve of them going off together."

"Who? Buttercup and Jack?" said Frankie. "Professor, are you, jealous?"

"She just idolizes him" said Jackie in between sipping his drink. "It might be good if she learned anything from him. He's a very righteous and honorable man. They'll be fine."

"Do you have any children, Mr. Chan?" said the Professor, changing the subject.

"Yes, I do. But considering how much I have to take care of Jade, I sometimes feel like I have two daughters."

"Hello!" The voice of a middle-aged woman caught the attention of the remaining diners.

Looking towards the voice, the Professor and gang found Mrs. Bravo and her son Johnny approaching the table. They were both dressed as pirates, and though their costumes weren't exactly historically accurate, they were festive. Momma Bravo looked like she had gone all out on hers, but Johnny's was more toned down and bare-bones.

"Mr. Chan," she addressed Jackie, "I'm so sorry for everything that happened yesterday. My boy Johnny just gets the willies some times. I hope we didn't cause any harm."

"No problems, Mrs. B. Thank you for the cookies you sent to the campsite. Mrs. Bravo, I'd like you to meet the illustrious Professor Utonium. He's here on vacation with his family."

"How do you do?" said the Professor, shaking her hand. "And this is my daughter Blossom."

"Oh, is this your daughter? She is just precious!" she pulled at Blossom's cheeks like a long-lost aunt. "Is she your only one?"

"No, I have two other daughters, Buttercup and Bubbles. They're wandering the park right now."

Mrs. Bravo put her hands on Frankie and Blossom's shoulders.

"Do all your daughters have red hair like their mother?"

_Phbfft! _Both Frankie and the Professor spit out their drinks.

Frankie managed to recover enough to speak.

"Pfft, what makes you think I'm old enough to…? I mean, we're not related." said Frankie.

Mrs. Bravo looked mortified.

"Oh, I'm sorry dearie, I just thought that since you were sitting next to each other… you know."

The Professor spoke up.

"No, uh, I'm not married."

Mrs. Bravo removed her hand from Frankie and put both her hands on Blossom's shoulders.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Is their mother not around anymore?"

The Professor was reeling now.

"No, they don't have a mother… oh, what a horrible thing to say. What I mean to say is, the girls were created, not born.

"You mean to tell me you've never been married?" Despite the strangeness of the Professor's claim, it wasn't what Mrs. Bravo seemed to concentrate on.

"No."

"Have a girlfriend?"

"Well, I'm usually busy…"

"Go out on dates?"

"I meet with a lot of important people, but…"

Suddenly, Mrs. Bravo grabbed the Professor and pulled him out of his chair, an excited look in her eye.

"Don't worry yourself about it, Professor! Momma Bravo is the queen of match-making on the East Coast, and this island is the perfect place to start looking for a woman. Not myself of course, because after Johnny's father passed away, I could never love again (unless of course he had a big bank account and a great body) and my Johnny is the only man in my life. Isn't that right, baby?"

Johnny was busy posing for the passing beautiful women.

"Momma, you're embarrassing me." Johnny obviously did not realize the irony of the situation.

"Now," lifting the Professor to his feet with almost superhuman strength and pushing him into the park, Momma Bravo pulled him, like it or not, "we should find you a younger woman, but not too young or your daughters will feel threatened, sexy, but also intelligent, and…"

In mere seconds, Mrs. Bravo had dragged the Professor out of sight, while Johnny trailed along, trying to remain as far away from his mother as possible to pick up chicks, but still be close enough when she bought him ice cream.

Being the only three left, Blossom, Frankie, and Jackie were not about to be left out of the fun.

"Well you two," said Frankie, "let's not be sticks in the mud. Forward!"

"Excuse me," said a waiter, coming up to the table, "your bill."

Jackie and Frankie took one look at the bill and groaned.

"We forgot to have everyone pay!"

* * *

In another section of the park, deep inside one of the rides, was a room built like a medieval European torture chamber. In the room, various devices sat around gathering dust and cobwebs, obviously there simply for looks and not actual use. The ceiling was very high, with horrifying stone gargoyles adorning the rafters.

However, in the center of the room sat a cauldron which bubbled and boiled, spitting out strangely colored bubbles and smoke.

Standing next to the cauldron, pouring in various ingredients and stirring them with a large wooden spoon, was a crooked old man wearing an all black cloak. However, he had dropped the hood of his cloak and instead placed a mask of a druid over his eyes and head. As he stirred, he spoke strange yet simple words.

"Eye of newt and horn of bat,

liver of toad and foot of rat,

for every deed must payment be received,

life comes with it price,

but death is free,

now comes the brew of the evil eye,

reveal to me the night sky."

Images began appearing in the smoke. The pictures became clearer, until all four groups of heroes could be seen. There was Blossom, Frankie, and Jackie, about to explore the park. There was Jack and Buttercup, with Jack trying to win a stuffed animal for Buttercup. There was Jade and Bubbles, Bubbles wanting just to have fun while Jade wants to follow Buttercup. There was the Professor, having trouble talking to women even with Momma Bravo's help.

"All will soon feel my power. But this one," he pointed a gnarled finger with a very disgusting yellow fingernail at Jack, "oh, how long I have waited. Waiting… and burned with hatred… but unlike Itami, I won't charge headlong at my enemies. They will feel pain, hatred, and fear like they have never before! Only then, when they have seen the thousand faces of madness shall I do them the favor of releasing them from this world."

He balled up his fists in excitement.

"It will be glorious!"

Calming down, he moved away from the cauldron and looked up towards the ceiling.

"Come down, ladies. It's almost time to begin."

Up in the rafter, sitting around a single gargoyle, were three young girls about age ten. One was silver-haired and had a sultry look on her face. Another was raven haired and had an angry look on her face that looked like she would rip the head off of the first thing that moved. The last was blond-haired and looked like she was about to cry. All three were decked out in gothic clothes complete with a few pentagrams and heartagram jewelry. Though on the outside they were physically ten years old, their weary, glassy eyes seemed to suggest that outside appearances were not always to be trusted.

"All the players are in place," said the silver-haired one.

"For a game or for a race?" answered the blond.

"Neither, for time is on our side." finished the raven-haired girl.

"Cut your riddles, ladies. The fun is just about to start."

To be continued…


	11. Chapter 11

Walking through the center of Cinema Square, Blossom, Frankie, and Jackie took in the sights of the theme park. Along the pier, the centerpiece of all the rides had to be the enormous Ferris wheel, spinning slowly as the lights on the sides created various shapes and illusions. Several more rides, some designed for the kiddie crowd, others built for adrenaline enthusiasts, dotted the park at various intervals, surrounded by the occasional t-shirt store and lemonade stand. The crowds moved in and out, jamming up whenever a large ride let out, and becoming even thicker as the night moved on and the throngs of teens arrived. The park would remain crowded long after the attractions closed, but most of the families left the boardwalk long before then, as anyone who stayed out too late was simply asking for trouble. However, at this moment, everyone was having a good time and enjoying themselves.

"So, where should we go first?" asked Blossom.

"Well," Frankie pondered the question a moment, "the Scrambler is always fun, Moxleys is the place to get ice cream afterwards. Oh! They just opened a new attraction, the Haunted Mansion. It's supposed to be awesome. You walk through this massive house, then out into the gardens, and it ends in a giant opera house! I've wanted to go in a while, but I haven't been able to get off the island. We should go tonight!"

"I think I've had enough of ghosts for a lifetime," sighed Jackie.

Blossom noticed some commotion in the nearby crowd.

"Hey, something's coming." she said.

Suddenly, shouts came from farther down the boardwalk.

"Make way! Make way!"

Two riders dressed as early nineteenth century English soldiers rode at breakneck speed on their brown stallions, clanging bells and forging a path through the people. Behind them came a white carriage pulled with four horses the same color as the carriage. The driver was wearing the exact same red coat as the two riders.

Jackie, Blossom, and Frankie were so surprised at the sudden intrusion of the carriage that they quickly moved to get out of its way. Blossom even got started preparing herself by instinct to face any threat that might come out of it. They were even more surprised when the carriage slowed down and stopped right in front of them.

Off the top of the carriage jumped three vintage British soldiers, each dressed in their red coats with the weird colonial hats and even replica muskets to complete the image. They quickly surrounded the three, combined with the two riders, they made a circle. Thankfully, they did not point their weapons at them, so Jackie was cautious but not aggressive.

The door to the carriage opened and stepped a very tall and lanky man wearing green apple Victorian era men's clothing. He was a middle-aged man, and he had a blond mustache that curved at the ends. His hat was rounded at the top, and to complete the stereotype, he had a single glass monocle in his right eye. He even carried a maple wood cane.

The attention of all the people in the park now turned to this small scene: Five vintage British soldiers and a gentleman surrounding a Chinese man and two red-haired American girls.

The man walked down from the carriage, walked directly to Frankie, and bowed.

"Princess, we finally found you!"

"Who, me?" said Frankie.

The man stood tall and shouted so that everyone could hear.

"Good sirs and ladies, we are proud servants of the mighty Queen of England, who have searched the four corners of the globe and the seven seas for Princess Olivia, favored niece of the queen."

He pointed to Frankie.

"This girl in front of you is no commoner. She is royalty. Good sir," he gave a small bow to Jackie," pardon me. I have not introduced myself."

He tipped his hat. "My name is Sir Guy Olive. I have come to claim the Princess in the name of her majesty."

"Frankie, what's going on?" whispered Blossom.

Frankie just smiled and winked.

"It's a show, an act. In Cinema Square, shows start out of the blue, and sometimes the actors include audience members in them. Just play along." She turned to the man. "Oh, but kind sir, I will not go back. I grow so tired of palace life. I want to have fun and be free."

"Ooo, Ahhh," said the crowd.

The man smiled, but the audience could see he was getting a bit agitated.

"Impossible Princess. The royal family demands your presence."

Jackie stepped forward in front of Olive.

"I don't want to spoil the moment, but we just want to walk around and relax. I don't suppose you could try someone else?

Olive was silent for a second. Then he raised his hand.

"Guards!"

The five soldiers raised their muskets and held them ready to fire.

"Those things aren't loaded, right?" asked Jackie nervously. Blossom held her ground ready for anything.

"So, you have found us out!" shouted Olive so everyone could hear. "We are not servants of the Queen of England, but rather mercenaries serving the wicked Lord Berrymore, who seeks to wed the Princess and be in line to steal the throne."

"Boo, hiss!" shouted audience members.

_Phew, _thought Jackie, _it's still just an act. A bit annoying though._

"Wait!" said Frankie. All eyes were on her. "I will go, but spare my friends."

Guy Olive smiled again. "Of course. Guards!"

The soldiers shouldered their muskets but kept their vigilance. Olive took Frankie by the arm and led her to the carriage. Before he helped her into it, he turned back to Jackie and Blossom.

"Hear me! We have taken up an outpost inside the haunted mansion. If you dare, hero, come there at nine o'clock. If you can brave the dangers of the mansion and reach the gardens in the center of the haunted mansion, we will be waiting for you. Ciao!"

The carriage raced off in the direction of the haunted mansion, the two horseback riders in hot pursuit. The crowd dispersed, some going back to what they were doing before, others headed in the direction of the haunted mansion.

"Oh, it's almost nine!" said a mother to her children.

"Can we see the show, daddy?" they asked their father.

"Of course, but we'll have to hurry to get a good spot."

"Yea!" cheered the kids.

The three other actors walked up to Jackie. One of them handed him an envelope.

"Please come with us. We don't want you to be late. Don't worry; this is all just an act. We will reimburse you for any time missed."

Jackie opened up the envelope. Inside were two advance tickets into the haunted mansion.

"It never fails." said Jackie, showing Blossom the tickets.

Blossom just chuckled. "Looks like Frankie got her wish after all."

* * *

Holding her position only several meters from the target, the Chinese spy pressed her back against the wall, taking only shallow breathes in order not to reveal herself, blowing the entire mission.

Stealing a peek around the wall, she watched as the samurai called Jack sitting across from one of the Powerpuff Girls, eating some ice cream at an ice cream parlor.

"Dun dun duhdundun…"

"Shh!"

Reaching into her oriental dress, she pulled out a small vile of pinkish-red liquid. Holding it up to her face, she couldn't suppress the urge to smile.

"Only one sip, and then…"

"Da da dun dun duhdundun!"

"Will you stop that, Bubbles?" hissed Jade, trying to conceal her voice so Jack and Buttercup wouldn't hear. "What are you doing, anyway?"

Bubbles was crouched down low, with a green bandana she had somehow found draped around her head, off in another dream world.

"Fox agents Jade and Bubbles, by command of Solid Snake, follow the target, protecting them from the ever watchful eye of Big Boss. Revolver Ocelot's agents are everywhere, blending into the crowd, why, they could even be…"

Jade slapped her hand over Bubbles mouth and pushed her out of sight just as Jack glanced over in their direction. Waiting breathlessly for a moment, Jade did another peek and noticed that he had gone back to his conversation.

Grabbing the bandana off of Bubbles head, Jade handed it to Bubbles to put away. Relaxing, Jade continued.

"As I was saying, by combining the correct amount of tropical fruits and herbs only grown on Progenies, I can create a potion so potent, it will make the user fall in love with the first person he, or she, sets eyes on. I call this baby…"

Jade struck a pose.

"Love Potion #9! And Uncle said I'd never amount to anything! But, just to make sure…"

She crouched down and placed the vial on the ground next to her foot for safe keeping. Pulling out one of the long bobby pins in her hair, she unwrapped a piece of parchment tied tightly around the needle. It was old and tattered and had obviously been torn out of a book of equal age. Reading the ancient calligraphy to ensure her potion was correct, as she knew what happened when potions weren't created perfectly, Jade obviously wasn't put off by the random scribbling of _Forbidden_ and _Don't even think about attempting_ written all over the page in Uncle's handwriting.

"Let's see…freshly picked mango, strawberries, cooked boba…sounds more like a smoothie…fresh oysters…ew… and, of course, the secret ingredient, horn of Alexus, dragon goddess of love. Used up all of my supply on this, so it better work…now I just have to get one of them to drink it…"

She reached down to pick up the vial. Touching the ground next to her foot, she was horrified to find nothing. Whirling around quickly, she scanned the ground searching for her precious potion. She ceased her search when she realized the obvious truth, but by then it was too late.

Raising her head slowly, she was treated to the sight of Bubbles downing the last of the pinkish-red liquid.

"Ahhh…" said Bubbles with a huge smile on her face, "Yum!"

Jade was mortified.

"You drank my potion!"

"Potion?" said Bubbles, looking straight at Jade.

"No!" shouting Jade, reaching for Bubbles eyes, "don't look at me!"

Jade's sudden lunge at Bubbles caught the Powerpuff off-guard. Moving away from Jade, Bubbles fell backwards, landing directly on her back. During the fall, Bubbles got a glimpse of some flashing lights behind her.

"Ow," said Bubbles, rubbing her head, "what was that for?"

"Huh? You're okay?"

Jade didn't know who was more confused herself or Bubbles.

Bubbles got up off the ground, wiping off her Yucatan.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Turning around to see what the lights behind them were, Bubbles froze in her tracks. Her jaw dropped open.

"Is that…?"

Behind them, with large flashing neon signs, was none other than Cinema Square's two-story funland/video game park, known simply as Twin Dragons arcade.

"Uh, hello? Earth to Bubbles?"

Jade waved her hand in front of Bubbles' face. The blond didn't even blink.

"Arcade!" Bubbles jumped in delight and took off for funland.

"Wait!" shouted Jade after her, "what about my plan?"

Watching Bubbles disappear into the arcade, Jade waited for a moment, weighing her decisions.

"Hey, wait up!"

Inside the arcade, Jade was surprised to find a large crowd gathered around a single attraction. It didn't really matter to Jade what they were all watching, but it was difficult trying to find the airhead in this crowd of rubber-neckers.

Pushing through a throng of people, mostly sweaty nerds who desperately needed a shower, Jade got a few angry looks from members of the collection, but they still let her through. Finally, Jade spotted two blond locks jutting up from the crowd. Pushing her way over, she finally reached Bubbles.

"What the heck are all these people looking at Bubbles?"

No response.

"Bubbles?"

Taking one look at Bubbles' eyes, Jade realized what was going on. Her eyes glimmered with the same look she had when she saw the arcade, but this time they were also filled with a longing gaze that meant one thing.

Reaching back into her dress, Jade pulled out the parchment again. The last part of the message had been torn off slightly, leaving only the tops of few words. Now, Jade realized that the last line said _Potion unstable. Takes a few minutes for full effect. Ensure user does not break gaze of intended lover._

"Oh, crud, the potion really did work!"

Turning her attention to where Bubbles was staring, there was only one more thing to figure out: who Bubbles had locked her gaze on.

Fearing the worst as she looked over the crowd, Jade was surprised to find Bubbles gaze leading up all the way to where everyone else was staring.

At the center of the crowd was one of the new knock-offs of DDR, though instead of the usual arrow boards, this one had a circular dancing floor and several motion capture sensors from head to toe. It was called Break Dance Revolution, and the name of the game was simply to bust out the best dance moves of any style.

The entire crowd was mesmerized by an ongoing game between two dancers. One of the dancers was obviously being outdone by the other, as the score-tracker recorded enormous bonuses for the break-dancer currently spinning upside down on his head. The other dancer tried to perform a difficult trick, but only ended up tripping over his own feet and falling flat on his own butt.

The song finished and the scores were posted. Player 1: AAA. Player 2: B. The crowd went wild. The watchers started talking amongst themselves.

"That's the twenty-seventh one he's beat!"

"Hasn't got lower than a double A in any match."

"Amazing moves! I've never seen anyone pull those off! And he's so hot too!"

The object of their admiration finally stopped spinning on the floor like a top and stood up. Jade got her first glimpse of the dancer.

The boy looked about seventeen, but words didn't do him justice. His body wasn't muscular but extremely toned like a martial artist. His skin color was like melted chocolate, which contrasted sharply with his short, wavy silver hair. He wore only a pair of cargo pants, tied off with a hemp belt, and nothing else, no shoes, no shirt.

Walking over to the side bar that created the boundary between the stage and the rest of the arcade, the boy grabbed a towel off of the bar and wiped the glistening sweat off his body. A nearby announcer for the arcade grabbed a mike and took to the center of the stage.

"Wow! After twenty-seven matches, the newcomer is still undefeated! Can anyone defeat this unbeatable dancing machine?"

"Ooo, quite the stud-muffin, eh Bubbles?" Turning to where Bubbles was standing, Jade now found herself standing alone again. "Bubbles?"

Jade was surprised to find that, in the commotion, Bubbles had not only wandered away again…she was now at the stage, climbing into the dance circle. The MC pointed her out.

"Looks like we have a challenger, folks! And quite a looker, too! As an added bonus, the champ has wagered two tickets to the newly opened haunted mansion that no one can beat him. Can this young blond vixen defeat the upstaging break-dancer? Or are we forced to crown this young man the king of Break Dance Revolution?"

"No!" shouted the crowd. Cheers rose for Bubbles.

The machine played a song that Bubbles recognized quickly. The music seemed to break the spell of the potion for a moment, as Bubbles took up a pose and prepared to bust a move. The boy crouched low.

With the music starting up, Bubbles busted out her moves like a professional dancer. The boy started out performing a few simple break dance moves, like spinning his leg under him, and performing a handstand then lowering down his body to the ground.

However, Bubbles showed the reason why she was so feared at the arcades. Crafting a new routine that would have made Britney Spear's choreographer jealous, Bubbles started racking up enormous points, the game and the crowd cheering her on.

Finding himself being beaten, the boy went to his last resort. Getting up the momentum, the boy flipped upside-down and spun on his head, his arms and legs spinning to keep up the speed. Sliding off his head and onto his back, the boy tucked his arms and legs together to keep up the spin before pushing himself back up on his hands and flipping forward, pulling off a split to end the move.

The music ended, and the audience held its breath as the scores were tallied. Then, they appeared on screen.

Player 1: AA

Player 2: AAA

"The winner!" the MC held Bubbles arm high in the air. The crowd cheered for the usurper was finally defeated.

The boy hung his head for a few seconds, but then stood up straight and smiled. Instead of sulking, he walked over to Bubbles.

"You. Good Dancer." said the boy.

Bubbles blushed.

"Thanks. You're really good, too."

The two stood quiet for a moment, staring into each other's eyes. Getting impatient, Jade butted in.

"You have more than a single-word vocabulary there, Tarzan?" said Jade sarcastically.

The boy shook his head.

"No. Speak little. Me learn. Here. As promised."

He handed them two tickets. Taking a quick glance at the attraction the tickets were to be used at, Jade noticed that they were for the haunted mansion, front line priviledges.

"Me work. You come?"

"Of course," said Bubbles, "we'd love to."

"Good. Me see you."

Giving a half-hearted salute, the boy grabbed a gym bag from the side of the platform and headed out onto the boardwalk.

Bubbles just titled her head and sighed. Jade rolled her eyes, only to realize something.

"Hey, what's your name?" she shouted at him.

The boy had already left.

To be continued…


	12. Chapter 12

Jack and Buttercup walked down the lanes of the amusement park, enjoying the cool summer night on the island. After a few pleasantries and small talk, Jack decided it was time to try a new ploy.

"How is school going for you, Buttercup?"

"Okay. I mean, I'm doing well."

"Getting good grades, you mean.'

"Yeah."

"What about your demeanor?" Jack had a hint of suspicion in his voice which made Buttercup nervous.

"Huh? What was that?"

"Your conduct." Jack's tone became serious. "Are you being reasonable, mature, and tolerant?"

Buttercup gave him a false smile. "Yes, of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"And the fighting?"

"I just keep my skills up. I don't hurt anybody." Buttercup tried to sly away, knowing from her many talk's with her father and the principal what came next.

"I've heard different. Please don't lie to me. Have you been getting into trouble at school?"

Now, it was Buttercup's turn to change her mood. "It's not my fault! I'm only trying to stay ready! You remember when Bell and Him, and the Cluster, and all those other freaks tried to take over!"

"Yes I do. It still remains with me to this day. But, you must remember, no matter how bad that situation was, it was in the past. We never gain anything by living in the past. We must move forward."

Somewhere in Jack's gut, something turned, though he paid no attention to it, concentrating on the matter at hand.

"But I understand. And in fact, I find it commendable that you stay vigilant in case of another attack."

Buttercup was surprised at this. "You do?"

Jack nodded. "Yes. In fact, the first tenant of Bushido states that a warrior should keep in mind at all times coming battles, as a focal point for life. But, there is a difference between staying vigilant, and being over-bearing. And, you are at a point in life where it is time to make a decision. So, Buttercup, will you remain a super-hero, or will you become a normal girl?"

"What kind of question is that?" Buttercup was speechless. "Of course I'm going to stay a superhero! I'm a Powerpuff Girl, it's what I do!"

"But will you be one all your life?

"It's not like I have a choice here, Jack-sama."

"Of course you do. You always have a choice. Why, with your powers, you could stop fighting villains, use your powers to make enormous amounts of money, and live in the lap of luxury. Who cares about other people? With your powers, you can secure a nice future for yourself."

"T-that's…" Buttercup couldn't understand the change that had come over Jack. Here, he was the man who had always said to be selfless and honorable. Anger started to boil as the image of her idol was distorted. "That's sick! No one who believes that is worth a damn! No matter what people think of me, no matter what they say about me, I'll always fight for those who can't fight for themselves, and you can take your selfish desires and shove it!"

Expecting an angry retort, Buttercup was surprised when Jack smiled.

"Pass!" was all he said.

"Huh?"

"Sorry about that, Buttercup, but that was a test. I just wanted to see if you were ready."

"I'm lost."

"When I was your teacher, I taught you things in books, but perhaps it is time I teach you about something that can only be learned through experience."

"And what is that?"

"The Way of the Warrior."

"Wait, but-…why?"

"I fear for you Buttercup. I have taken the liberty of studying the trends of 'supers' and while most super villains are buffoons, just idiots in strange costumes, every so often someone like Dr. X or Darkseid comes along who are truly dangerous. More of them are popping up, and you remember what happened the last time Apocalypse invaded, right?"

Buttercup remembered, but it wasn't pleasant to do. The Justice League had stopped Darkseid once again, but it had come down to the wire, and a few members had perished in the battle. The newspapers covered their funerals, attended by the whos who of superherodom.

"You want me to be a warrior?"

"No, I just want you to have an understanding of the way. I have found that, in this day and age, only the superheroes are able to truly understand and benefit from the way."

"What about soldiers?"

Jack shook his head.

"It isn't the same. Soldiers train, they do their duty, and then they return to their homes and families. A soldier does not remain on active duty his whole life, unlike a superhero, and very few soldiers ever gain the influence and fame that a superhero receives. I wanted to make sure you were dead set on the superhero path before I suggested teaching you. It's a hard life… most superheroes struggle to maintain normal lives, often impacted when they have to drop what they're doing at a moment's notice and save the world. It's different for you, since your superhero identity is your sole identity. But still,

"This is…really hard to take in. I don't know where to start."

"That's alright." Jack noticed a little ice cream parlor nearby. "Why don't we get some ice cream, and I'll start on something simple?"

After getting two cones of ice cream, chocolate for Buttercup, pecan for Jack, they both took an empty table and enjoyed their ice cream for a few minutes. Once Jack had ensured that his ice cream would not drip on his fingers, he continued his lesson.

"First, let's talk about paths. I was taught, as a child, that life is one long road. At one end, there is birth. At the other, our passing. But, in the middle, there are many, many ways from one end to the other. No path is set. Though fate and destiny may play a role, in essence, you walk your own path."

"Okay then," Buttercup turned the subject, "just for example, what's your path?"

Jack's mood went from jovial to dead serious in about half a second flat. His distant look almost scared Buttercup. Though she couldn't tell it, he was in deep thought, picking out his words carefully.

"I'm searching for someone," Jack finally said.

"Who?"

"Someone who has committed many atrocities, and must be brought to justice for his actions."

"I…its…that's actually pretty cool."

"It is?" It was Jack's turn to be surprised at the answer.

"I always knew you were tough, but I didn't know you were hunting down a villain!

Jack changed moods once again, this time giving Buttercup an embarrassing smile.

"No… I mean, its nothing. Just something that happened to me a long time ago. Actually, I'm trying to find my own path right now. Once I find the person I'm looking for, I really haven't thought about what I'll do after I meet him. I'd actually like to go home, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to."

"Why not?"

"It's…complicated. To go home, I first have to meet that person. To meet that person, I have to go home, hence my predicament."

Jack stared at a point beyond Buttercup's shoulder. Buttercup turned around in her chair to catch someone disappear behind a dark corner.

"Who was that?" said Buttercup, starting to stand.

"Just someone being nosy. Nothing to worry about. Please sit back down. I'd like to ask you about your path."

"My path?"

"The path of the hero, I believe?"

"Um, yeah, I think."

"Most heroes have short life spans."

The gloomy mood returned. Jack felt embarrassed. He realized that he could understand these lessons due to the fact that he had learned them when he was only a child. In this day and age, lessons like these were tough for people to hear, especially a sixteen year old girl.

"I'm sorry, I've gone too far. Just some things for you to think about. Would you still like to continue this training?"

Buttercup thought about Jack's words, how they were hurtful and hard to take. Yet, something in her heart told her the answer.

"Yes I would."

Jack once again gave his easing smile, and nodded. "Good, then I'll leave you with an advanced lesson, and then there'll be no more serious talk tonight, just good old fashioned fun. The lesson is this: every true warrior seeks to gain the three levels of perfection. The first level: the warrior holds his sword in his hand, and no enemy can stand against him. The second level: the warrior has the sword inside of him; none attack him for fear of his ability, and his reputation. The final level: the warrior is one with all around him. He no longer desires battle. He is at peace."

Finishing their ice cream, Jack and Buttercup continued to slowly meander around the park.

As they walked farther into the park., they noticed a large crowd gathering around a single attraction, and in the center of the crowd…

"Hey, isn't that…"

"…Blossom and Jackie!"

Buttercup and Jack approached their compatriots.

"The heck are you two doing here?"

They were all standing outside the haunted mansion. The main entrance, a pair of double doors in the middle, were blocked off from the other visitors. The mansion had three entrances, boasting three different experiences. Apparently, the main entrance was being kept ready for the show.

"We got recruited to participate in this stunt. The gist of it is, we have to enter the haunted house and save Frankie from a bunch of actors. Not too hard, considering what we've faced, but still extremely annoying."

"That sounds like a blast!" a different voice arose from behind them.

All four turned to find Jade and Bubbles now joining their little group.

"Are their any rules against our friends helping us?" Blossom asked one of the men working the attraction.

The man shook his head.

"Well, as they say, the more the merrier, eh?" said Jack.

"But I thought you hated haunted houses?" Blossom asked Bubbles.

"She's looking for prince charminggggg." said Jade.

"Huh?"

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" the MC from the arcade was back, now announcing this new event.

"I'll tell you when we get inside," Jade whispered to Blossom.

"Watch as the hero and his entourage, trek into the treacherous haunted mansion, to save the Princess from her doom! Seats are still available in the terrace area outside the garden for the final battle. Quickly make your way over there! And now…"

The main doors of the mansion opened, spooky music playing all the while.

"Let's wish our heroes good luck!"

* * *

In Ekirei's medieval chamber, the sorcerer watched as the group of six entered the haunted mansion.

"Excellent! Everything is going as it should! Now, to start the real fun!"

He turned to his boiling cauldron, strangely colored smoke spewing from the top. The three sisters twirled in the air, singing as they went.

"Night twists 'round, be silent, make not a sound, the moon holds sway, the sun is bound…"

"…dance with the demons in the fields, come walk the devil's piper's road…"

"…open the bounty, see what it yields, and speak the words we taught you long ago…"

All four crowded around the cauldron chanting.

"Double double, toil and trouble,

fire burn and cauldron bubble,

a golem is a mighty slave,

but a statue is as silent as the grave,

see the end of the flesh and the dust of bone

turn all these fools into stone!"

At an ice cream parlor on the other side of the amusement park, Johnny Bravo was doing what he did best, or worst, depending on which way you looked at it.

"Hey baby," he said, approaching a 'hot mama' on a stool. "Are you from Tennessee? Cause you're the only ten I see!"

His efforts were promptly awarded with a fudge sundae to the face.

"OW HOT HOT HOT, ooo, chocolate!"

Nearby, Mrs. Bravo and the Professor were watching Johnny's failure.

"Now Professor," said Bunny Bravo, "that's a good example of what not to do. Now you try. Go get 'em, loverboy!"

She pushed him up to another beautiful woman.

"E-excuse me, ma'am?"

"Yes?" She turned and looked straight at him.

"I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I,…" Like a broken record, the Professor was done.

"What's up with this guy?" the woman asked her friend sitting next to her.

"I don't know, but all the guys here are weirdoes. Let's head over the haunted mansion. I hear there's some cute guys working there."

The two women got their purses and left. Mrs. Bravo gave the Professor a sympathy pat on the back.

"That's alright, dearie. We'll try getting your confidence up, and then you'll try again."

A rain drop struck her in the cheek. The Professor looked up into the sky, and saw the night sky get lit up with a little lightning at a distance.

"Uh oh, looks like a storm is brewing." The Professor said. "We should start looking for the girls, right Mrs. Bravo?" No response. "Mrs. Bravo?"

Looking to his left, he found Mrs. Bravo standing deathly still, her skin changed from vibrant pink to a grayish tone, almost like she was stone.

Alarmed, the Professor looked around him to find others either already changed into statues or in the process of being changed.

"What's happening?" A few people screamed. Others tried to run, but were caught in the rain. Some tried to hide under canopies and tents to protect themselves, but as if it had a mind of its own, the storm picked up and wind pushed the rain completely sideways, striking anyone taking cover. Anyone struck by the rain became a statue.

The Professor, uncertain of what he should do, was caught off guard by several drops of water striking him. His body immediately froze up, with him only being able to get off two word.

"My girls…"

TBC

Actually, the first tenant of Bushido is to keep death in mind at all times, but since Jack is talking to a sixteen year old girl, I really didn't think it appropriate to talk about a subject as severe as death, so any purists out there please understand.


End file.
